Seasonal suppers: Hone your filleting skills with mackerel

The crazy spring weather continues. I think it’s colder this month than last; I feel it in my bones. I fear for the farmers. It’s a wonder anything keeps growing.

At times when the land is fallow, I turn towards the sea. I have written before in this column about the wealth of our shellfish and seafood and our need to consume more of it.

Mackerel is back by the barrel load, flowing down from Donegal to our fishmongers in Galway. I find mackerel a better fish to buy whole (because of its size) and it’s a great one to practise your filleting technique.

Its small size is easy to handle and its soft, oily flesh offers very little resistance to a good knife. Simply, run a knife from under its gill to its tail and then repeat on the other side, keeping the blade parallel with its spine. I'm sure YouTube will assist you in this capacity. I taught myself to fillet fish by practising on cheaper fish first. Mackerel is one of them.

Dress with olive oil

Rub a little oil on the skin side of the fish and grill on a high heat until black and blistered. Then remove and dress with some olive oil, lemon juice, and a touch of sea salt. This type of grilled fish suits a salad (if you can find yourself some lettuce!), but at this time of year, I think a nice potato salad with some spring herbs (wild garlic and three-cornered leek are already in Galway).

Peel the potatoes and cut them into even cubes. Rinse the starch off the spuds and then blanch until tender but still firm. Remove from the water and cool.

Dress the potatoes with a nice olive oil, some herbs and a little vinegar or lemon juice. There are some great people currently making wonderful vinegars in Ireland so do seek them out, rather than always going for lemon or lime when a recipe requires. There are so many different types of acidity when it comes to vinegar. It's not just all about a simple sharpness.