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GRILLED MACKEREL WITH A WARM CORNISH SPLIT AND HORSERADISH SOURED CREAM

We serve these filled splits during the annual Portscatho Fish Festival. The mackerel comes in straight from the boats and onto our big wood-fired grills on the harbour jetty. Try to use the freshest possible mackerel. If you can, choose mackerel that are whole so that you can check if the eyes are clear and bright. Then ask the fishmonger to fillet and pin-bone them for you, leaving the skin on.

Splits are like a proven scone. They are well worth the effort, especially when served warm from the oven. The subtle sweetness of the split and the punch from the horseradish really complement the oily mackerel. If you have a sweet tooth, try a bit of gooseberry jam in there too; it might just make your day.

Serves 6

12 mackerel fillets, about 100g each, boned (see here), with skin

sunflower oil, for frying

100g watercress

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

gooseberry jam (optional), to serve

FOR THE SPLITS

10g active dried yeast

1 rounded tsp caster sugar

200ml whole milk, lukewarm

265g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

100g plain flour

1 tsp fine sea salt

60g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

a little peeled and grated fresh horseradish

FOR THE HORSERADISH SOURED CREAM

4 tbsp soured cream

30g peeled and grated fresh horseradish

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To make the splits, put the yeast in a bowl and mix in the sugar and milk. Leave to stand for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.

Sift the bread flour and plain flour, and the salt, into a large mixing bowl, then rub the butter into the flour mix using your fingertips. Make a well in the centre, add the yeasty milk and mix to form a dough. Tip onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes. Put in a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl, knead again for 2 minutes, then shape into 6 rolls. Put these on a greased baking sheet. Brush with the egg yolk and sprinkle over a little grated horseradish. Leave to rise again in a warm place for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6.

Bake the rolls for 25–30 minutes until light golden — to test they are cooked, tap the bottom of one of the rolls; it should sound hollow when ready. Cool slightly on a wire rack.

To make the horseradish soured cream, mix all the ingredients together a bowl.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the mackerel well with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan and add the fillets skin-side down — cook in batches of 2–4 fillets, depending on the size of your pan. Press down for the first 10 seconds so that the mackerel doesn’t curl up. Cook for 2 minutes until crispy, then flip over and cook for a further 30 seconds on the other side. Repeat with the remaining fillets.

To serve, cut the warm splits horizontally like a burger bun, put two mackerel fillets in each bun along with a good spoonful of the horseradish soured cream and some watercress. If you have any gooseberry jam in the fridge, pop this out on the table, too, to add to the mackerel.