Smoked Mackerel Fettucine
Leaving London for big bodies of water is something I’ve always needed to do since I first moved here eight years ago. I’m from Australia and swimming is so central to who I am. During the lockdown, it was all I was dreaming of. With many long afternoons when weekdays blended into weekends and blurs between what was work and what was relaxing became a daily fog, I would just hide away in my bath wanting to be surrounded by water.
My first swim in the sea was last month when we got an early morning train to Whitstable and were the first people on the beach. That delicious feeling of being totally absorbed into the moment is all I felt as I put my head under the water. I wrapped myself up in a towel and we sat outside eating oysters before brushing the smashed shells from our feet and getting back on the train.
Aching for more, on the train heading back to London I booked tickets to get the train to Cornwall the following month. All I wanted was seafood and the sea. This is a dish inspired by the easy cooking I like to do after a long day doing something I love. Intensely lemony with flakes of lovely smoked mackerel, it takes 5 minutes to make. Once the water has boiled you create the sauce while the pasta cooks.
Immerse yourself in the experience of making it. Find a lush looking lemon and take the time to immerse yourself in its scent when you zest it. Look at the stunning silver skin of the fish when you flake it and serve it piled high. We might have to wait between swims in the sea but the perfect plate of pasta can happen whenever you fancy.
Ingredients
2 fillets of smoked mackerel
4 tablespoons of Creme Fraiche
An unwaxed lemon
A bunch of parsley
Fresh egg fettuccine
Plenty of sea salt
Lots of black pepper
Remove the skin of the mackerel fillets and flake the flesh into a bowl and mix with the creme fraiche. Chop both stalks and leaves of the parsley and add to the creme fraiche and mackerel. Season with salt, pepper and add the zest and juice of one whole unwaxed lemon.
Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the fettuccine till it is al dente. Keep a mug of pasta water and toss it through with the mackerel mix. Serve immediately and eat as soon as the pasta hits the plate.
