Spring has well and truly sprung here in Bath this weekend, and all those daffodils and chirping birds made me feel inspired to cook myself a suitably green, fresh and delicious lunch today. I am a real fan of putting oniony flavours with vegetables and salads, it really livens them up and adds a healthy dose of sulphur which is good for the liver. I regularly sweat finely sliced onions or shallots, leeks and garlic until soft, then combine them with peas, broccoli or watercress. Today, I did just that, and added a grilled mackerel fillet on top. This combination of ingredients is packed with vitamins, minerals (including calcium), healthy fats and blood-sugar balancing protein. It really was a delicious, light, yet satisfying lunch that I urge you to try.
Mackerel fillet with oniony green vegetables.
1 mackerel fillet
Half a small red onion, peeled
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1 leek, washed
1 cup of frozen peas
1 small carrot, peeled
1 handful watercress, washed
Sea salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Pre-heat the grill. Place the mackerel fillet under the grill to cook. Meanwhile, finely slice the red onion and leek. Heat some coconut oil or butter in a frying pan, add a pinch of sea salt and gently sweat the onions and leeks until they are soft and sweet. Using a vegetable peeler, peel long strips of carrot into the pan until you can’t peel anymore. Crush or grate the garlic into the pan too, stirring it all around until the carrots slightly soften and the garlic is lightly cooked. Turn off the heat under the pan and let it rest. Place the peas in a sieve and pour over boiling water to quickly de-frost, then place them in bowl of boiling water for a few minutes to soften. Drain well, turn the onion pan back on and add the peas, stirring to combine the flavours and heat through. Place the peas, carrot and onion mixture into a bowl, adding the washed watercress on the side and the mackerel fillet on top. Season with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil.