Rillette of mackerel on pickled cucumber carpaccio

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Simon Hulstone's elegant mackerel starter was developed for British Airway's Olympic menus, which were served on long-haul flights between July and September 2012. His mackerel rillette recipe takes inspiration from the airline's menus dating back to 1948 – the last time the Games were held in London, and is served on a bed of pickled cucumber carpaccio.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Mackerel pâté

Cucumber pickle

Poaching liquid

Fennel jelly

Method

1
First make the pickle, heat the 600ml of water up to boiling point with everything except the vinegar. As soon as the water boils remove from the heat and allow to cool
2
When the mixture is cold, add the vinegar to the pan. Place the sliced cucumbers into a kilner jar and cover with the vinegar mix. Set aside until needed, the longer the better
3
To make the poaching liqour, sweat off the shallots and garlic - without colour - in a heavy based pan on a medium heat
4
Add the bay leaf, parsley, peppercorns, celery sticks, leek and fish bones. Allow to cook for 2-3 mins, add the wine and reduce until almost dry
5
Add cold water and bring to the simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, skimming constantly. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 20 mins
  • 2l water
6
Add the lemon juice and pass through a sieve. Check seasoning and store in the fridge until ready to use
7
For the fennel jelly dissolve the agar agar in a little water and mix into the fennel juice. Bring to a boil and then pour into a suitable container to allow to set for 20-30 mins. Cut into a small dice
8
In a wide pan, poach the mackerel fillets in your poaching liquor until cooked. Once cooked, discard the cooking liquor and separate the flesh from the mackerel skin
9
Put the mackerel flesh in a bowl add the butter, crème fraiche, horseradish, and paprika to taste. Then combine all the ingredients with a fork, until the mackerel has broken up into fine strands and season (similar to a meat rillette)
10
You want the mixture to be dry enough so you can quenelle it later on - if it isn’t just add a little more crème fraiche. Cover and chill. Once ready to serve, plate with the pickled cucumber
First published in 2015

Simon Hulstone's aesthetically pleasing and rewarding cuisine can be found in Torquay at The Elephant, which holds a Michelin star.

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