Pan-seared mackerel with stone fruit salad

Impress your guests with a smoky burnt orange mustard dressing and a seasonal stone fruit salad with this recipe from chef Rosy Scatigna. Perfectly paired with pan-fried marinated mackerel fillets, they makes a fish dish that's a serious showstopper.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 x 150 g blue mackerel fillets
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 15 g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

For the fish marinade

• 15 g olive oil
• ½ lemon, finely zested
• 2 g smoked paprika
• 5 g honey
• 2 g fennel seeds
• A pinch of salt

For the burnt orange mustard dressing

• 1 orange, halved
• 10 g honey
• 10 g Dijon mustard
• 15 g olive oil
• 5 g white balsamic vinegar
• 1 g smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper

For the salad 

• 1 small peach, thinly sliced
• 1 small nectarine, thinly sliced
• 1 small plum, thinly sliced
• 30 g rocket leaves
• 15 g white balsamic vinegar
• 10 g olive oil
• 2 g Dijon mustard
• Salt and black pepper

Marinating time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the fish marinade. Add the mackerel fillets and rub the marinade into the fish. Marinate for 10 minutes before using.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the burnt orange mustard dressing. Heat a chargrill pan or heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add the orange halves, cut-side down and char for 3-4 minutes, or until caramelised and slightly blackened. Remove from the heat.
3. Squeeze the juice from the charred orange halves into a medium bowl, then whisk in the honey, mustard, olive oil, vinegar, paprika and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Set aside until needed.
4. Just before serving, make the salad. In a large salad bowl, combine the sliced stone fruit and rocket leaves. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the remaining salad dressing ingredients together, seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.
5. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a generous drizzle of olive oil, then add the marinated mackerel fillets, skin-side down. Cook for 2½ minutes, then flip and cook for a further 30 seconds, or until cooked to your liking.
6. Transfer the fish to a serving plate and spoon over a little of the burnt orange mustard dressing. Top with some of the dressed stone fruit salad and sprinkle with hazelnuts and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.