Scorched mackerel with smoked eel, beetroot, sweet mustard and sea herbs
A prime piece of quick-cured and scorched mackerel takes centre stage in this fresh starter, accompanied by golden beetroots, steamed leeks, thin slices of smoked eel and sea herbs in a sweet mustard sauce. The crushed egg mixture below adds a wonderful piquant richness, making this one of Michelin-starred chef Mark Kempson's signature dishes at Kitchen W8 in London.
First published in 2021
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 4 mackerel fillets, weighing 125g each, pin-boned (Mark uses Cornish day boat mackerel)
- 50g of fine salt
- 50g of caster sugar
- 50g of Demerara sugar
Sauce
- 75g of caster sugar
- 100ml of white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard, heaped
- 2 tsp single cream
- sea salt
- 50ml of rapeseed oil
crushed egg
- 2 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 banana shallot, small, finely chopped
- 1 tsp lilliput capers
- 1 tsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cornichons, finely chopped
- 1 lemon
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
- 4 baby golden beetroots
- rapeseed oil, for drizzling
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Chardonnay vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon oil, ideally Sicilian lemon cold-pressed rapeseed oil
- 1 small leek, washed and cut into 1cm rounds
- 100g of smoked eel, thinly sliced (like smoked salmon – ask your fishmonger)
- sea herbs, to garnish – Mark uses oyster leaves and monk's beard
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
Begin by preparing the beetroot for the garnish. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Wash the beetroots and place on a sheet of foil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, drizzle with a little oil, then wrap tightly and bake until tender (around 30-45 minutes). Once tender, leave to cool still wrapped in the foil for 30 minutes
- 4 baby golden beetroots
- sea salt
- rapeseed oil, for drizzling
- freshly ground black pepper
2
While the beetroots bake, score the skin of the mackerel fillets at 1cm intervals. Combine the salt and caster sugar, then sprinkle half of it on a tray. Place the mackerel fillets on top of the curing mix, flesh-side up, then scatter over the remaining mixture. Leave to cure for 15 minutes, then rinse off the mixture, pat dry and place the mackerel in the fridge until ready to cook
- 4 mackerel fillets, weighing 125g each, pin-boned (Mark uses Cornish day boat mackerel)
- 50g of fine salt
- 50g of caster sugar
3
To make the sauce, place the sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, allow to cool, then add the mustard and a pinch of salt and whisk together. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly to emulsify, then finish with a splash of cream. Place in the fridge (transferring to a squeezy bottle if desired) until ready to serve
- 75g of caster sugar
- 100ml of white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard, heaped
- 2 tsp single cream
- sea salt
- 50ml of rapeseed oil
4
For the crushed egg, boil the eggs in salted water for 5½ minutes, then plunge into iced water to halt the cooking process. Place the shallot, capers, parsley and cornichons in a bowl, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Grate in a little lemon zest and add a squeeze of juice, then peel the eggs and add to the bowl, lightly crushing them with a fork as you mix everything together. Check the seasoning and reserve in the fridge
- 2 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 banana shallot, small, finely chopped
- 1 tsp lilliput capers
- 1 tsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cornichons, finely chopped
- 1 lemon
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
5
Once the beetroots are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and cut each beetroot in half. Place them in a bowl and season with the vinegar, lemon oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside
- 1 tsp Chardonnay vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon oil, ideally Sicilian lemon cold-pressed rapeseed oil
6
Set up a steamer pan and bring to the boil. While you’re waiting, season the sliced leek with sea salt and leave to stand for 1 minute. Once boiling, steam the leeks for 10 minutes until tender, then transfer to a bowl and cover, leaving them to cool naturally
- 1 small leek, washed and cut into 1cm rounds
7
Preheat a grill to its highest setting or use a blowtorch if you have one. Place the mackerel fillets skin-side up on a metal non-stick tray and sprinkle over the Demerara sugar. Place under the grill (or blowtorch) and cook until the skin scorches and blackens
- 50g of Demerara sugar
8
To serve, divide the crushed egg mixture between 4 serving dishes, then drape the slices of smoked eel over the top along with the leeks and beetroots. Dress generously with the sauce, then top with a mackerel fillet and the sea herbs
- 100g of smoked eel, thinly sliced (like smoked salmon – ask your fishmonger)
- sea herbs, to garnish – Mark uses oyster leaves and monk's beard
First published in 2021
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