AND………… I’m done! Another difficult quarter in the books. Most importantly, I finished my last econ exam ever. I figured I’d treat myself to something extravagant. That typically means blowing an irrational amount of money on a fancy dinner. I figured I’d try something different and instead blow an irrational amount of time on some recipe development. Warning: LONG post

Why tartare? It’s sushi without prerequisites! As someone clumsy with a knife, I love that my uneven cuts would get covered by mincing. Tartare also allows me to play with more flavours. Good tartare

The original plan was to use salmon or tuna, but after seeing that 99 ranch had fresh mackerel, I went for the more unique option. While I was at it, decided to do three varieties

Let’s start with something conventional – Japanese Style: Shime saba (vinegar cured mackerel), miso mustard, pickled radish, green onion, kiazame ginger, served on air fried kombu chips and salmon roe

This variation is my mandatory homage to Asian flavours . Full confession: the shime saba wasn’t supposed to go into this one, but it turned out for the better 😉

Spicy miso mustard and curing pair perfectly with the natural funk and richness of mackerel. Pickled radish and ginger add crunch and a touch of sweetness to balance the vinegar. Finally, kombu and caviar finish the experience with umami and pops of flavour.

Second, Spicy and Smoky: Mackerel, smoky vinegar, shallot, pickled jalepeños, cucumber, served on cucumber slices

This spicy and smoky variation takes the flavour up a couple notches. Pickled jalepeno brings a hefty kick that’s cooled down by cucumber. A light touch of smoke adds depth to cap off the experience.

Note: get a thick cucumber- at least 2 in in diameter.

Finally, something Eastern European inspired to pay homage to my OG game theory prof- Beet and Pickle: Mackerel, spicy mustard, beets, pickled cucumber, green onion, served on toasted rye bread and topped with crispy onion

Beets shine with their sweetness and texture, which accentuate the mackerel. Of course, there’s also the spice and sour from the pickles and mustard, all rounded off with texture and fragrance from the onion and bread.

Notes 1: General

Tools: The sharper the knife, the better. I highly suggest a decent quality Japanese chef’s knife. They’re not even expensive! I picked one up for $10

Sanitation: Wipe down the board(s) after prepping every ingredient and wash the board(s) after each prep. This will prevent both bacteria and flavour contamination.

Notes 2: The fish

Picking: The quality of the fish is paramount. The easiest way to ID a fresh fish is to look for clear, unsunken eyes and shiny skin. There should also not be any obvious smell. If fresh mackerel isn’t available, high quality frozen fillets will also work, but the texture may not be so great

Prepping

1. Don’t try to skin the mackerel with a knife. From the upper edge of the head side, you can separate the skin from the fillet and remove it by gently pulling. To make this easier, pour a little boiling water over the fillet and the skin will curl and separate
2. Don’t bother pinbonning. The pinbones lie in a neat row, so just cut that section out. Any remaining bones will be imperceptable when the meat is diced up.
3. Be careful not to press too hard into the fish. Slice as thin as possible, then dice. To make this easier, freeze the fillets from 15min before slicing.

Notes 2: Accompaniments

Homemade vs storebought: I pickled my own radishes and cucumbers using this recipe, but storebought pickles will work. I’d suggest a light rinse as the flavours will be much stronger

Prep

1. Dice as finely as possible
2. I would highly recommend prepping the veggies a day before. It makes the “day of” prep much less painful and chaotic as well as more sanitary. With that said, do the prep 1 variation at a time and separate to avoid getting ingredients confused.

Enough said, let’s get cooking!

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Ingredients

Pickled mackerel

• 2.5oz mackerel filet, skinned
• 300ml rice wine vinegar
• Salt, enough to cover

Miso mustard

• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 1.5 tsp white miso
• .5 tsp water
• 2tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1tsp white sugar

Accompiaments

• 2tsp diced pickled radish (daikon or red)
• 1 tbsp diced green onion
• 1/2 tsp dinced kiazame ginger

Serving

• 1 sheet Kombu, cut into 2.5-3in x 2.5-3in squares
• salmon roe
• chopped green onion

Directions

For the pickled mackerel (shime saba)

1. Cover fillets with salt and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the fillets from the salt. Rinse off the excess salt and pat dry
3. Place the rinsed fish into a glass container, pour enough vinegar to cover. Marinate for 1 hour. The flesh should be firm and white and no longer raw.

Miso mustard

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Kombu chips

1. Preheat air fryer to 350F
2. Use a slightly damp towel to wipe off excess salt from the kombu and pat dry- the drier the better
3. Place the squares in an even layer in the air fryer and air fry for 6 min. Allow to rest for 1-2 min to crisp. They should roll up slightly

Assembly

1. Dice the mackerel into a fine mince
2. Mix in 1tbsp of miso mustard until even, then add in the radish, green onions and ginger
3. Scoop into kombu chips. Top with salmon roe and sprinkle on green onion

[\recipe]

Ingredients

2.5 oz mackerel, skinned and minced

1 tbsp Smoky vinegar

• 1tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp liquid from pickled jalepenos
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Accompinament

• 1 tbsp diced shallot
• 2tsp diced pickled jalepeno
• 1tbsp cucumber

Serving

• sliced cucumber, 1/4th inch thick
• Black coloured caviar (I used lumpfish)
• chopped green onion

Directions

1. Combine the ingredients for the smoky vinegar. Pour 1tbsp onto the mackerel. Mix and let marinade for 10-15min. The fish should turn white
2. Add in the shallot, pickled jalepeno and cucumber
3. Scoop into cucumber slicers and top with caviar and sprinkle with green onion

[\recipe]

Ingredients

2.5 oz mackerel, skinned and minced

1 tbsp spicy mustard (I used Chinese mustard, but brown mustard also works)

Beets

• 1 small beet
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2tsp sugar

1 tbsp diced pickled cucumbers

1 tbsp diced green onion

Serving

• 2 slices of rye or wheat bread
• 1 green onion stem (the white part), sliced thinly
• chopped green onion

Directions

Beets

1. Skin and quarter the beet
2. Boil water with salt and sugar in a small saucepan. Add the beets and boil for 3-4 minutes. They should still be crisp
3. Remove from water and chill. Then dice finely

Crispy fried onion topping

1. Heat 1/2 in oil in a small frying pan on medium high. It’s hot enough when water splashed into it sizzles.
2. Add in the sliced green onion stem and reduce heat to low. Fry until golden brown

Assembly

1. Cut circles 2.5in in diameter from the bread. Flatten and toast until browned and slightly crisp
2. Mix mackerel with spicy mustard, 1 tbsp beets, pickled cucumber and diced green onion
3. Spoon the tartare onto the bread rounds, top with fried onions and chopped green onion

[\recipe]

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