Life

James Street South Cookery School: Autumnal fried courgette and pickled mackerel

Fried courgette with mint – a great dish to use up the last of the courgettes
Fried courgette with mint – a great dish to use up the last of the courgettes Fried courgette with mint – a great dish to use up the last of the courgettes

IT ALWAYS amazes me how the seasons shift so spectacularly once September hits. Not that August was the sun-drenched summer month we might have expected, but September has been noticeably darker, wetter and windier.

Of course, in the kitchen we are obsessed with the seasons and autumn brings with it a bumper crop of amazing produce that is grown right here in Northern Ireland. And it's not only the fruit and veg spilling over the counters of shops and stalls across the region – it's also a great time for fish as they move between feeding grounds.

This week I have included a favourite mackerel dish of mine which always goes down well for dinner parties. Fried courgettes are a different way of using this under-appreciated vegetable which really come into their own this time of year.

Of course, the best way to support local is at one of the many farmers’ markets taking place at the weekends across the north, where the dirt is still on the potatoes and the crabs are trying to take your fingers off!

FRIED COURGETTE WITH MINT

(Serves 6)

4 courgettes, sliced on the round

3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

salt

fresh pepper

2 tblsp white wine vinegar

12 mint leaves

This is a great dish to use up the last of the courgettes – the pretty flowers are long gone but the vegetable is still good to go. You can use this as a great side with a fish or meat main course. It can be quite a hearty meal in itself if you grate over some soft cheese.

Start by slicing through all the courgettes into thin rounds. You need a good frying pan and you want to heat the oil and add in the garlic and the courgettes and cook on both sides until golden.

Remove from the frying pan, lay on a plate and drizzle with the vinegar and season with the salt and pepper. Tear over the mint leaves and serve warm.

PICKLED MACKEREL WITH GINGER AND LEMON

(Serves 4)

4 fresh mackerel fillets, pin boned

4 stalks fresh coriander to garnish

For the marinade:

2 tblsp fine salt

2 tblsp caster sugar

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the pickle:

150g ginger, peeled and grated

300ml white wine vinegar

150g caster sugar

rind of 2 unwaxed lemons, finely shredded

Start by mixing the ingredients together. Place the mackerel fillets in the dry marinade and coat fully. Place in a shallow dish, cover in cling film and put in a fridge for an hour. Once the hour is up, wash and dry the fish.

To make the pickle, place all the ingredients in a pot and place on the heat. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for five minutes. Remove and leave to cool. Once cooled cover the mackerel with the juice, seal with cling film and place back into the fridge. Leave in the fridge for minimum of a day. Once ready to serve, remove the mackerel from the container and serve with chopped coriander.