Chef Bart van Olphen is a passionate advocate of cooking with sustainable fish and seafood. His latest book, The Tinned Fish Cookbook, focuses on humble tinned fish and aims to show just how versatile, healthy and sustainable it can be. Try his delicious tinned mackeral and asparagus salad – a perfect side salad or starter for two.
Mackerel asparagus salad with sesame vinaigrette
Equipment
- Grill pan
- Bowl
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 200 g green asparagus tough ends cut off
- 125 g tin of mackerel in sunflower oil drained
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 spring onion thinly sliced into rings
- Handful of purple shiso leaves (optional)
For the sesame vinaigrette:
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
Method
- To make the asparagus: Place a grill pan over high heat. Brush the asparagus with some olive oil and roast for six to eight minutes – turning frequently – until slightly charred in places. Let them cool a little before cutting into one-inch (3-4cm) pieces.
- To make the vinaigrette: Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add both types of sesame seed, and stir-fry until the seeds change colour and release their fragrance. Transfer the seeds to a small bowl and leave to cool.
- Pour the vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce into the bowl with the sesame seeds and beat with a fork until smooth. Set the dressing aside.
- Put the green asparagus on a platter, drizzle with half of the dressing, and toss together. Break the mackerel into pieces and arrange over the asparagus salad. Drizzle with a bit more of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Serve the asparagus topped with the spring onion, shiso leaves, if using, and the rest of the dressing.
Nutrition
The Tinned Fish Cookbook: Easy-to-Make Meals from Ocean to Plate – Sustainably Canned, 100% Delicious by Bart van Olphen. Translation by The Experiment (experimentpublishing.com). Photography David Loftus.
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