Mackerel, courgette and a pesto from parsley, pistache and sorrel

 

A recipe we found in The Guardian by Yotam Ottolenghi

Normally we do use mackerel, but today we made it with sea bass.

 

If you don't have any sorrel in your garden or                      growing wild nearby, you'll be hard pushed to get hold

it, so it's well worth ordering some in advance from a  

greengrocer. It's wonderfully sharp, in a non-citrussy

kind of way, and goes well with anything nutty. If you

can't get hold of any, just up the quantity of parsley in

the pesto and add a bit more vinegar. Serves four!

 

 

3 large courgettes (700g)
3½ tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
8 small or 4 large mackerel fillets, pinboned
25g rocket leaves

For the pesto
75g sorrel
15g parsley
50g pistachios
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp cider vinegar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp honey
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp olive 

Put all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor and blitz to a coarse, runny paste.
Put a ridged griddle pan on the stove to heat up. Cut the courgettes on an angle into 1/2 cm-thick slices. Toss them in two tablespoons of olive oil, season and grill for three to four minutes, turning once, until tender but not limp.
.
Brush the mackerel fillets with the remaining oil and season generously. grill them, skin-side down to begin with, on the griddle pan for three or four minutes, turning once. As soon as the fish is cooked, drizzle over the remaining lemon juice.

To serve, divide the courgettes like a flower between four plates and top with a few rocket leaves. Lay the warm fish on the rocket, drizzle over the pesto and finish with some more rocket.