David’s Dish Developement
As the countdown to our re-opening draws closer our fab Head Chef, David Hall, is back in the kitchen working hard on some new, fantastic fishy dishes.
That’s where you guys come in, we want to know what you want on our Hook lunch menu. For the next couple of weeks David will be putting dishes head to head, and asking for your vote on which one is of-fish-ically the best. This week, it’s the battle of the mackerel dishes…
The winner, will be appear on our menu and can be enjoyed when you next come to visit us. Double win right?! So make sure you pop over to our Instagram (@TheFishHotel) to cast your vote.
What is more, David is sharing his recipes and know-how behind his fabulous food, so you can tide yourself over and try making them at home.
After all, it would be shellfish to keep up this scrummy grub to ourselves.
Over to you David…
Magnificent Mackerel on Toast…
To prepare your mackerel, make sure you check for and remove all bones and trim your fish as required.
- 20g basil
- 20g flat leaf parsley
- 20g mint
- 30g capers
- 60g gherkins
- 20g mustard
- 20g anchovies
- 150g pomace olive oil
Making your tomato and fennel sauce…
- 900g onion
- 1kg fennel
- 1/2 celery
- 1kg plum tomato
- 25g garlic
- 2g bay leaf
- 2g lemon thyme
- 5g star anise
- 25g tomato puree
- 50ml vegetable oil
- In a large pan add your oil, diced onions, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and star anise.
- Then sweat down for 10 minutes.
- Next add your chopped fennel and celery, then continue to sweat for a further 20 minutes.
- Then add your tomato puree and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Squeeze your tomatoes to remove the seeds and then place them into the pan and mix together with your other ingredients.
- Place your mixture into a rational and cook on 130 degrees for 2 hours.
- When cooked, remove your bay leaf and star anise and blend until smooth.
- Finally pass through a fine sieve.
How to tower your toast…
- Grill your mackerel fillets, I cooked mine on the BBQ to get a lovely blister on the skin.
- Whilst doing this, heat a little of the tomato and fennel sauce in a pan.
- Toast your sourdough and spoon some of the warm tomato sauce onto it.
- Add your grilled mackerel fillets and drizzle with your salsa verdi on top.
- Then voila, tuck in.
BBQ mackerel, nduja, fennel and yogurt…
- Check your mackerel for bones and trim if required.
- Then stuff your fish with 8g Salt Pig nduja (this stunning spicy salami can be brought online). Roll your nduja into a long, thin sausage shape and insert length ways.
- Skewer with two cocktails sticks to close the belly.
- 500g Kolyosh yoghurt (or a good Greek yoghurt)
- 1g lime zest
- 4g salt
- 1 litre rapeseed oil
- 360g lemon juice
- 240g Forum Chardonnay Vinegar
- 64g caster sugar
- 48g salt
- 8g ground white pepper
- 24g lemon zest
- 24g garlic
- 4g thyme
- 300g thinly sliced fennel
- 100g Pernod
- 100g white wine
- Firstly, boil your Pernod and white wine.
- Then pour them over your fennel.
- Finally vac pack on full while hot.
- 200g dill
- 300g grapeseed oil
- Blanch your dill in salted water.
- Refresh in ice water.
- Then dry in a towel.
- Next blend on full power until smoking and dark green in colour.
- Finish by passing through fine sieve.
- Spread your lime yoghurt onto a plate in a circle and sprinkle with fennel pollen.
- In a bowl put a pinch of the pickled fennel with an equal amount of your raw shaved fennel, a pinch of chopped dill and some lemon dressing.
- Lightly ball your salad making sure not to crush it and add plenty of height.
- Cook the mackerel on a hot BBQ making sure that the skin blisters. Turn to crispy on both sides.
- The whole fish will take no more than 4 minutes to cook.
- Place on your dish to the side of the fennel salad and drizzle with delicious dill oil.
Enjoy!
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