Green mango salad with crispy smoked mackerel à la Rick Stein
A hot, salty, sweet and sour recipe influenced by the celebrity seafood chef
- 4 smoked mackerel fillets or 2 whole smoked mackerel
- 1 green mango
- 3 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, julienned
- ½ a cucumber, seeded and julienned
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- A large handful of coriander, roughly chopped
- A large handful of mint, roughly chopped
- A large handful peanuts, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 2 limes
- 3 tbs fish sauce
- 2 tbs palm sugar
- 2-3 bird’s eye chillies
For the crispy shallots
- 250ml vegetable oil
- 10 thai shallots or 1 red onion, finely sliced
Method
Cut the mango into matchsticks – if you can’t find green mango you could leave it out or use a regular one, but it is worth seeking out. Mix with the rest of the salad ingredients and set aside.
Make the crispy shallots by heating the oil in a high-sided saucepan until a cube of white bread browns in a minute. Add the shallots (you may need to do this in two or three batches). Fry until crispy, a matter of a minute or two. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Make the dressing by finely chopping the chillies and mixing with the rest of the ingredients until the sugar has dissolved. Fry the mackerel in a frying pan in a few tablespoons of peanut oil (groundnut), turning once, until crispy – roughly five minutes. Drain and set aside for a few minutes.
Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Flake the fish into the salad in 2 cm chunks, turning gently so as not to break up the flakes of fish.
Place onto a serving dish and garnish with the peanuts and a few more chopped herbs.