Today is Friday which means that in France fish is on the menu. Always. This is a Catholic country, whether or not the French like to admit it, and generally they do not. Ours is a secular society, they proclaim. Our president does not swear on the Bible like yours. No, I say, but you eat Fish on Fridays and all your holidays are holy days, you celebrate your saint day and believe that everyone is guilty until proven innocent. You are Catholic.
Today I had lunch at La Rotisserie which I describe in The Baby of Belleville as a Trotskyist cantine where all the meats are served on skewers. In real life though, there are no skewers and just a few lingering Trotskyists. The cook is Algerian and guess what he prepared for lunch today? Du poisson! Here, even the Muslims are Catholic — to a degree of course.
So I thought I’d leave you with an excellent and easy recipe for mackerel from the wonderful Ottolenghi cookbook. It’s Friday. Eat your fish. Drink white wine. You’ll be among the saved.
Both cookbooks were a gift from my good friend and editor, Laura Barber. Merci, Laura!
Grilled Mackerel with Green Olive, Celery and Raisin Salsa
Serves 4
8 mackerel fillets, pin bones removed
2 tbs olive oil
coarse sea salt and black pepper
Salsa
125 g celery stalks, thinly sliced
60 g good quality green olives, stoned and thinly sliced.
3 tbsp. capers rinsed
70 g good quality plump raisins
1 1/2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp honey
15g flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
1) Stir together all the salsa ingredients. Taste it; it should be sweet, sour and salty. Season with salt and pepper and leave to sit for at least 15 minutes for the flavours to evolve. (At this point the salsa can be refrigerated for up to 24 hrs, if necessary. Before serving, allow it to come to room temperature, reresh with extra chopped parsley and adjust the seasoning.)
2) Set an oven grill to its highest setting. Toss the mackerel fillets gently with the oil and some salt and pepper. Lay the filets on flat oven tray, skin side up, and place under the hot grill for 3-4 minutes or until just cooked.
3) Serve the fish hot or at room temperature, with a spoonful of salsa on top.
C’est simple et si bon!
Right next to the La Rotisserie: Trostkyist babe on bike.