Mackerel would have to be one of the most underrated fish in Australia.
Ironically, most of the catch is ground into food for farmed fish, which end up with nowhere near the incredible flavour and texture of mackerel. Grilled slowly over coals, it offers a wonderful eating experience: the natural oils in the fish mean it stays juicy and succulent, and the flesh absorbs the smokiness from the grill.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
200 g (1 cup) pearl barley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 japanese eggplants (aubergines), halved lengthways
3 roma (plum) tomatoes, halved lengthways olive oil, for brushing
2 whole mackerel (about 700 g in total) large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves handful mint leaves
garlic yoghurt
140 g (1/2 cup) plain yoghurt
2 teaspoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
1 Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil over high heat. Add barley, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain barley and spread over a tray or large plate to cool.
2 For garlic yoghurt, combine yoghurt, tahini and garlic in a bowl, then whisk in olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue grillplate over high heat. Brush eggplant and tomato with olive oil and season with salt. Place vegetables cut-side down on grill and cook for 3-4 minutes, then turn and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until tender. Remove and set aside on a plate covered with foil.
4 Brush fish with olive oil and season with salt. Make sure grill is very hot – this will prevent fish from sticking – then place fish carefully on grill and leave untouched for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until fish is just cooked through but remains juicy.
5 To serve, scatter barley over a plate, season with salt and pepper, then arrange grilled eggplant and tomato on top. Lay fish on plate, drizzle with garlic yoghurt and scatter with herbs.
Recipes from the book The Agrarian Kitchen by Rodney Dunn and photography by Luke Burgess, published by
Lantern rrp $59.99.
