Another week and another mackerel dish. As I have said many times previously, he loves mackerel, or so I am led to believe , but not for me. I actually eat more fish than meat, but I don’t like mackerel nor smoked haddock, both of which Himself likes. I also wouldn’t choose shark but having said that, if it is put in front of me, I might be out of my comfort zone, but would eat it anyway. I’m always on the look for something different and found something the other day which I would recommend. For me this was an easy dinner as everything was either in the freezer ( the fish) , the refrigerator or the store cupboard.

Nduja Mackerel with Chick Peas and Tomatoes. If you don’t already know, Nduja is a spicy paste made with pork sausage from the Calabria region of Italy. Originally, made from leftovers it was eaten by the poorer on bread, but of course in time it has found its way into popular culture and can now be found in finer supermarkets and also on Amazon. It is not cheap, but a little goes a long way, adding colour and spice to many dishes.

For 1-2 people

• Slug of olive oil
• An onion finely chopped
• 100 grms Nduja
• 5 cloves garlic also finely chopped
• 400 can chopped tomatoes
• 400 can of chick peas
• Small bunch of parsley ( I prefer curly parsley) also finely chopped
• 2 fillets of mackerel
• A sprinkling of paprika salt and pepper to taste
• One lemon zested and juiced

• Method
• Heat some oil in a pan and gently fry the onion and garlic. Do not let the garlic burn.
• Add the Nduja and cook gently, smushing it into the onions until it is well blended and the oil turns a deep red.
• Add the onions and the tomatoes and cook gently for about 15 minutes.
• Put the lemon juice, parsley and zest into a bowl and mix in some oil. Taste and season. Put to one side.
• Meanwhile, rub some of the paprika into the mackerel and heat a pan on the stove top ( I use a cast iron grill pan) .
• Place the mackerel, skin side down. Cook on a medium heat for about 4 minutes, to char the skin, flip over and cook for another minute.
• Spoon the tomato mixture into a shallow bowl, tops with the mackerel and finish off with the parsley, lemon dressing.

So as you can see, it takes no time at all and of course can be used with other fish.