I love rhubarb! This is a super seasonal dish with the first of the Swedish spring rhubarb and perky locally grown pea-shoots. Mackerel is extremely healthy and robust, not as easy to destroy in a pan than other delicate, white fish and will take a bit of bashing around. It goes really well with other big zesty flavours such as the tartness of rhubarb, which is mellowed by roasting. 

Recipe (serves one):

• 1 fillet fresh mackerel
• 1 stick rubarb
• half a fennel bulb
• handful of pea-shoots
• lemon zest and juice.
• brown sugar

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the fennel and rhubarb in an oven dish, toss the fennel in some oil and sprinkle a little brown sugar and lemon zest over the rhubarb. Pour a little water over the rhubarb. Roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat a little oil in a pan, turn the mackerel in a little seasoned flour and fry for a couple of minutes, skin side down. When it starts to go opaque around the edges, turn and fry for another 2 or 3 minutes. Squeeze a little lemon juice over it and serve with the rhubarb, fennel and pea-shoots.

Sea buckthorn is a bright orange berry that grows all over Europe and Asia and is often used in health foods due to its ridiculous vitamin content. They’re very acidic and difficult to eat on their own, unsweetened but have a very interesting flavour that reminds me of Soleros, and whatever it is they put in those.

Pickling herring is very easy, takes about five minutes and only has to be left for a couple of days in the fridge before it’s ready. Saying that, according to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall it is tastiest eaten five to ten days after jarring. 

I’m not sure how much herring I used in terms of weight, but it was enough to fill a regular sized jam jar with room for a quarter of a red onion, some sea buckthorn berries, 1 DL of water, about 1/3 DL white wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar. To this add 2 bay leaves, a few peppercorns, cloves and half a cinnamon stick or some allspice berries if you have them. It’s not a very exact science and you can add or take away any flavourings you wish. If you can’t source any sea buckthorn, reducurrants will give a similar tart flavour and are also a traditional ingredient in Swedish inlagd sill.

My favourite way to eat pickled herring is with buttered boiled potatoes and a salad made from leek, green apple, soured cream, black pepper and lemon zest.