A recipe for mackerel with orange and lemon zest

I bought some Scottish mackerel and  Seville oranges this week. I hadn't planned to use them together, but then I wondered whether the oily fish and the tart citrus might get on quite well. I grated Seville zest into some oil, fried the fish in it, and it proved very tasty. However, as the Seville season is so short, I thought I’d better work out how to make the dish using normal oranges and lemons. This is the result...

Mackerel and citrus zest (serves 1)

It’s important to cook the fish and zest gently in very little oil. Otherwise you will make a mess of oily fish and burnt zest.

1 mackerel fillet

1 small garlic clove

1 orange, zest only

1 lemon, zest only

2 tsp rapeseed oil

If the orange and lemon are waxed, scrub them in hot water first. Chop the garlic and debone the mackerel fillet.

Put a frying pan over a low-medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is gently sizzling, add the mackerel skin side down, and cook gently for three to five minutes until it’s cooked almost all the way through. Add the garlic, orange and lemon zest to the pan and wait until they start to sizzle. 

Turn the fish over so that it's on top of the garlic, orange and lemon zest, and cook for a minute or so until the mackerel's done (i.e. until it’s white all the way through). You can add a little squeeze of lemon or orange juice if you like. Eat.

Sussex credentials: Non-existent. Oranges and lemons are seasonal, coming from the Mediterranean at this time of year. Mackerel will be back in season down here in the Spring.