Mackerel with watermelon rojak

Name: Mackerel with watermelon rojak
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 mini watermelon, skin removed, 50g reserved for the dressing, rest sliced into triangular wedges; 200 g green beans, trimmed; 4 salad onions, finely sliced diagonally; 1 cucumber, deseeded and thinly peeled into long strips with a peeler; 25 g pack mint, leaves picked; 25 g pack coriander, leaves picked; 50 g cashew nuts, toasted and roughly chopped; 30 g Cooks' Ingredients Crispy Fried Onions; 4 whole mackerel (available from the fish service counter); 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Rojak is a tangy assembly of fruits and vegetables from Java. Here, Ravinder Bhogal has chosen sweet watermelon and crunchy green beans.

Angela Hartnett cooks this recipe for Nick Grimshaw and guest Sara Cox on episode 7, season 4 of Dish, the Waitrose podcast. It’s paired with a Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rosé.

Discover all recipes prepared by Angela Hartnett on seasons 1-4 of the Dish podcast. Dish is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare20 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time35 mins

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Ingredients

1 mini watermelon, skin removed, 50g reserved for the dressing, rest sliced into triangular wedges
200g green beans, trimmed
4 salad onions, finely sliced diagonally
1 cucumber, deseeded and thinly peeled into long strips with a peeler
½ x 25g pack mint, leaves picked
½ x 25g pack coriander, leaves picked
50g cashew nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
30g Cooks' Ingredients Crispy Fried Onions
4 whole mackerel (available from the fish service counter)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Dressing

2 red chillies
2 clove/s garlic
2 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce

Method

First make the dressing. Finely chop the red chillies and garlic. In a food processor, whizz them together with a little water (about 3 tbsp) until you have a paste. Add the sugar and 50g watermelon and whizz again until smooth. Stir in the tamarind, lime juice and fish sauce.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, then blanch the beans for 4-5 minutes until just tender but still vibrant green. Drain, transfer to a bowl of iced water, then drain again and put in a large bowl. Add the remaining watermelon and the vegetables to the bowl along with the herbs, cashews and the dressing; toss together. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle over the crispy fried onions.
Heat a large griddle pan (or barbecue) until very hot. Score each side of the mackerel about 6 times. Brush the fish with the oil and season. Cook the mackerel on the griddle or barbecue for 4-5 minutes on each side until charred, cooked through, opaque and the eyes have turned white. Serve at once with the rojak.

And to drink...

And to drink…

Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rosé, a bright and round rosé with bright, fruity notes of strawberry, cherry and white peach followed by hints of melon and citrus on the long, silky finish.