Читать книгу Made in Italy: Food and Stories - Giorgio Locatelli - Страница 51

This is the dish that Tony Blair ate when he came to the restaurant – I was impressed by his choice of healthy proletarian food. Where I come from in Lombardia, we are quite close to the Ligurian Sea but for some reason we get more fish from the Adriatic – mackerel is one that we used to have all the time when I was little – in addition to our usual diet of fish from the local lakes. Fat and flavoursome, mackerel actually have a better flavour when they are well cooked (unlike most fish) and, because they are very oily, the flesh won’t dry out the way other fish do.

Sometimes I make this dish without the pancetta but with a little saffron instead. You brush the mackerel fillets with oil and a few saffron threads, then season them with salt. Heat a pan and add a little oil. When it is hot, put in the fish, skin side down, pressing it down so that all the skin comes into contact with the pan. Don’t fiddle with it, just leave it for three or four minutes, until the skin turns golden, and you will see the flesh starting to turn white, rather than translucent. Once the flesh has turned white almost to the top, turn the fillets over and finish them off very briefly on the other side for about a minute. This is a dish of hot fish with a cold salad, which is why you need to choose fairly robust leaves, such as rocket. Note: if you are using saffron vinaigrette that you have made earlier and kept in the fridge, warm it up in a pan (but don’t let it boil) before using it, to bring out the flavour.

2 large mackerel (each about 80-90g)

8 thin slices of pancetta or Parma ham

4 handfuls of mixed green salad leaves

2 tablespoons Giorgio’s vinaigrette (see page 51)

3 tablespoons Saffron vinaigrette (see page 52)

bunch of chives, cut into short lengths

salt and pepper

Take one of the mackerel and cut down either side of the central bone, so that you can remove this ‘panel’ completely, leaving you with 2 small, boneless fillets. Repeat with the other mackerel. You don’t need to season the fish, as there will be enough saltiness from the pancetta.

Wrap each fillet completely in pancetta, without overlapping it. Cut each fillet crossways, at an angle, into 2 or 3 pieces depending on the size of the fillet.

Place a non-stick frying pan on the hob until it is moderately hot, but don’t add any oil. Put in the fish ‘parcels’ and cook until the pancetta is crisp and golden on each side (about 3-4 minutes in all).

While the fish is cooking, quickly season the salad leaves, toss with Giorgio’s vinaigrette and arrange in the centre of your serving plates.

Carefully remove the fish ‘parcels’ from the pan, then dip them into the Saffron vinaigrette and toss them around gently, and arrange them around the salad. Drizzle over the rest of the Saffron vinaigrette and sprinkle with the chives.