CURED FISH RECIPES

Steps:

• Rinse the fish under cold, running water, then put them in a colander. Some types of fish have scutes - a short row of tiny, hard scales towards the tail end of the lateral line. To remove these, insert the tip of a knife just under the row of scutes and cut them away, taking care not to cut deeply into the flesh.
• Position the fish on the cutting board, with the back facing you, and the head to your right (if you're right handed). Using a paring knife or fish knife, insert the tip of the knife under the gill covering and cut straight down on the fish's "neck" until you reach the bone, but do not slice through it. When you reach the spine, hold the head firmly, then turn the knife blade so it's facing toward the tail, and cut parallel to the cutting board, letting the fish spine and bones be your guide. Slice the fish all the way to the tail end, and cut away the fillet from the rest of the body.
• Flip the fish over and position it so the head is towards your left with the back facing you, and using the same movements, cut away the other fillet.
• Check each fillet for stray bones by running your fingertips gently over the fleshy side of the fish: the bones will pull out easily. After filleting all the fish, rinse the fillets with cold water, then drain them and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Weigh the fillets and multiply that amount by 0.035 - this is the amount of salt you will need. Weigh out the salt, then sprinkle it over the fish and mix well.
• Thinly slice the shallot and garlic then add them to the bowl along with the lemon zest and extra-virgin olive oil. Mix well. Cover the bowl with cling-film and refrigerate for at least two hours.
• Make the pickled onions. Trim off the stem end from the onions, but leave the other end intact (this will give you something to hold when you're slicing the onions). Peel the onion, then cut it as thinly as possible into rings - it's easiest if you use a mandoline. Weigh out 225 grams (8 oz) of the onion slices.
• Fill a saucepan with water, bring to the boil then add the onion. Blanch for 30 seconds, then drain throughly. Spread the onion slices out to dry on a dish cloth or paper towels. Thinly slice the garlic.
• Put the vinegar, salt and sugar in a measuring cup, then stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Put the onion slices into a clean glass jar and add the vinegar mixture, the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf (torn into several pieces) and dried chilli. Leave at room temperature for at least two hours.
• To make the grilled toast, slice the bread about 8mm (? in) thick. Lightly oil a grill pan and pllace it over a medium flame. When the pan is hot, grill the bread so it has slightly charred parallel lines. Turn the bread over once and toast the other side, adjusting the flame as needed. Drizzle olive oil over the bread.
• Drain some of the pickled onion and put the pieces on a serving platter or wooden board. Lay the sardines on the platter and add lemon wedges and a small bowl of rough-flaked sea salt. To eat, put some of the pickled onion on a slice of toast and top with the cured sardines. Squeeze lemon juice over the top, then sprinkle with a little salt.
• Store leftover sardines and pickled onion in the fridge; the sardines keep for just a few days and the onion for about a month. The onion is also delicious with hamburgers and grilled or roasted meats.

Steps:

• Lay each mackerel fillet on a chopping board, skin-side up. At one of the corners of the thick end of the fillet, tease away the top membrane using your finger. Imagine you are teasing the back of a sticker up, starting from the corner. Once you’ve got enough to pinch between your fingers, peel down gently towards the tail. Repeat with the other fillet. Turn the fillets over and, using a sharp knife, cut vertically down each fillet, a couple of millimetres either side of the central line of bones, creating 4 bone-free fillets.
• In a bowl, mix the fine sea salt, sugar and ground fennel seeds and coriander seeds.
• Sprinkle ¼ of this mix into a baking dish, lay the mackerel fillets, skin-side down, on top and cover with the remaining cure mix. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
• Put the sliced fennel in a bowl of iced water for 10 minutes. Segment the orange over a bowl, catching any juice and the segmented orange pieces. Add the olive oil, sherry vinegar, seasoning and the sugar and stir gently.
• Remove the mackerel from the cure and wash under gently running cold water. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Put the mackerel fillets on another clean baking tray, skin-side up, and blowtorch until the skin is blistered and crisp. Alternatively, heat the grill to high and grill the fillets for 1 minute – but keep an eye on them!
• Strain the fennel and toss it through the orange segments. Serve next to the mackerel fillets with a drizzle of dressing, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and a scattering of fennel fronds.