Marinated Beet with Egg and Smoked Mackerel | Ottolenghi

Marinated beet is the high note, marinated with oil, vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, coriander and chili flakes

Outdoor dining is here to stay. Not only is it safer against Covid infections, I have other reasons. The fact is my fondness for the outdoors grows as time goes by and it’s becoming habit forming. Imagine how a sandwich, a salad or the marinated beets with egg and smoked mackerel could muster good cheers when you treat it like a picnic. Take it outside on a bright or a gloomy day. Or you may serve it warm indoors, whatever your mood takes you.

I can’t find smoked mackerel. So I use the random smoked white fish I happen to pick up in the store. The idea of smoked fish as the main protein always works for me. This is an Ottolenghi recipe he publishes on the Guardian for outdoor eating.

He says: “Don’t feel you have to use smoked mackerel, either: smoked salmon fillets work really well, as does smoked eel, which is what I’d use for preference, though it is more expensive.”

I almost forget to put the smoked fish in the dish, since I didn’t go through the process of making it. You need the smoked fish for the savory note. The dish won’t be the same without it.

On the other hand, you can’t forget the other protein: the eggs. I follow the recipe for a soft-boiled 6-minute eggs. They provide a note of creamy richness I like together with the beets and greens. Another helpful tip from Ottolenghi:

And if you’re taking this on a picnic, keep the eggs separate from the salad until just before serving, otherwise the eggs will be stained by the beet.

The best bite comes from the marinated roasted beets. They impart a tender sweetness that’s ever so pleasing; I wish I’d double the amount I made. I get a bunch of fresh beets from Whole Foods. The greens look so perfect and succulent, I use them as well for the salad. They are far too good not to be eaten. The rest of the greens are early harvests from my vegetable patch. Happy spring and pack a picnic dish as you head outside!

Print Recipe

Marinated Beet with Egg and Smoked Mackerel

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• FOR THE MARINATED BEET:
• 12 small beetroots, scrubbed clean but unpeeled, leaves and stalks discarded
• 60ml olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 1½ tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 100g watercress
• 5g tarragon leaves
• 4 smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and broken into 2-3cm flakes

Instructions

1

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6.

2

To make the marinated beet: Mix the beetroot in a bowl with a tablespoon of oil and a teaspoon of salt. Transfer to a medium oven tray lined with baking paper and roast for a hour, until soft. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes, then peel (kitchen gloves or washing-up gloves will prevent your hands turning purple). Cut the beetroots into 1.5cm-thick wedges, then put in a bowl with two tablespoons of oil, the vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, coriander, chilli and half a teaspoon of salt, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

3

To cook the eggs: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, lower in the eggs and boil for five minutes. Drain, refresh and, when they’re just cool enough to handle, peel. Leave to cool if serving later, or keep warm if serving at once.

4

To make a dressing: In a big bowl, whisk the remaining tablespoon of oil, the lemon juice, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Add the watercress and tarragon, and toss. Add the fish and beetroot, toss gently, then transfer to individual bowls (or to a container, if you’re taking the salad on a picnic).

5

To serve, break or cut each egg in half over each portion, so the yolk drips over it, place on top, then drizzle over extra oil, if you like.

Notes

Adapted from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/23/sesame-prawn-toast-recipe-lamb-arayes-beetroot-smoked-mackerel-yotam-ottolenghi