Melissa Hemsley’s Grilled Mackerel with Tamarind Ginger Greens
Melissa Hemsley's easy grilled mackerel brings tamarind ginger greens together for a bright, sweet-sour dinner salad. Turn your leftovers into a healthy packed lunch the next day.
From the book
Eat Happy: 30 Minute Feel-good Food
Easy midweek meals
Vegetarian mains
Feelgood desserts
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Introduction
Tamarind is what makes the sauce for Asian dishes like Pad Thai taste so good, and this dish is inspired by my Filipino Mum who loves tamarind and always fed it to me as a child. Its tangy sweet-sour flavour perfectly cuts through the oily mackerel, which you could swap with another type of fish fillet, or use whole fish instead. The ginger greens are lovely hot or warm, or eaten cold as a salad. You can swap in any green veg you have in the fridge.
Ingredients
| 1 tsp | coconut oil or ghee |
| 8 | mackerel fillets (total 700g) |
| sea salt and black pepper | |
| For the Filipino-style tamarind sauce: | |
| 3 tbsp | tamarind paste |
| 1 tsp | chilli flakes, (or to taste) |
| 1 tbsp | maple syrup |
| 2 tbsp | tamari |
| juice of 1 lime | |
| For the greens: | |
| 1½ tbsp | coconut oil or ghee |
| 4 | spring onions, sliced (green parts saved to garnish) |
| 3 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 3cm piece | of ginger, finely chopped |
| 1 head | of broccoli (about 300g), cut into small florets |
| 250g | green beans, trimmed |
| 250g | sugar snap peas or mangetout, chopped |
| To serve: | |
| 1 | large handful of mixed fresh herbs (such as coriander, basil or mint), finely chopped |
| 1 | large handful of cashews, toasted and roughly chopped |
Method
1. Preheat the grill to high. Add the oil to a baking tray and pop under the grill for a few minutes to melt.
2. Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Toast the nuts in a dry saucepan and then set aside.
3. For the greens, melt the 1½ tablespoons of oil in the saucepan, add the white parts of the spring onions, garlic and ginger and fry over a medium heat for 30 seconds.
4. Tip in all the green vegetables and stir-fry for 5 minutes until just tender. Add a splash of water if the greens are getting too dry and sticking to the pan.
5. Meanwhile, place the mackerel fillets on the greased baking tray, skin side up, season with salt and pepper then grill for 4–5 minutes until just cooked through.
6. When the greens are just tender, pour in the tamarind sauce and stir in. Increase the heat and simmer for about 30 seconds to heat through. Taste for seasoning, adding a little more tamari if you’d like it to be saltier.
7. Serve the greens with the fish, scattered with the green parts of the spring onions and the fresh herbs and toasted nuts.
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