The combination of fresh mackerel, a warm beetroot salad and home-made horseradish cream hits all the right spots for me. I love this with a green bean and cos salad or just a simple watercress salad dressed with a tart vinaigrette.

Ingredients

5 large beetroot, scrubbed clean

1 bunch of dill

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

1 bunch of chives

1-2 tsp of finely grated horseradish

4 large tbsp of crème fraîche

1-2 tbsp of red wine vinegar

4 small mackerel, gutted and cleaned

1 lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1 Make sure that you light your barbecue in advance so that you have time to burn down the coals and cook over heat, not flame. If you are using a griddle pan make sure that it is smoking hot.

2 Place the beetroot in a pan of cold water with a large pinch of salt and a sprig or two of dill. Simmer until tender, roughly 30 min depending on their size. Cool slightly, peel and cut each one into quarters. Dress the beetroot with a splash of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper and a small handful each of chopped chives and dill. Leave to marinate.

3 For the horseradish cream, mix the crème fraîche, grated horseradish and red wine vinegar and season.

4 Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the fish to a depth of 50mm all the way along its body and on both sides. Rub the fish with olive oil and season all over, inside and out. Put 2-3 sprigs of dill and chives inside the cavity of each fish. Lay the fish on the hot grill of the barbecue or on the griddle pan and cook for 3 min on each side without moving. The flesh should come away from the bone very easily. If it doesn’t, cook a minute longer.

5 Arrange the fish on warm plates, spoon over the horseradish cream and serve with the beetroot salad.

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