Dartmouth Mackerel Salad

You will need – serves 4

4 mackerel – head and tail off and gutted

bayleaf

1 lettuce heart

2 small artichokes outer leaves, stem and choke removed and finely sliced 

3 very ripe tomatoes quartered

4 or five radishes finely sliced

6 basil leaves

3 boiled eggs peeled and quartered

2 spring onions finely sliced

100g green beans – I like to use runner beans too but fine, but I leave these raw if they are young.

handful of small black olives

6 salted anchovy fillets ground to a paste

3 tablespoons best quality white wine vinegar

9 tablespoons very good olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place the mackerel in a pan with a splash of vinegar, a pinch of salt and a bay leaf, bring to the boil then take off the heat and leave to cool. Remove the fish from the water and flake of the bone in chunks making sure there are no bones. Blanch the trimmed green beans. Make the dressing by mixing the vinegar with the oil and anchovies and season well. Line a bowl with the crisp lettuce leaves then lay on the tomatoes then fill the centre with the beans, onions, artichokes radishes, mackerel & basil, scatter over the eggs and olives then dress and toss at the table when everyone is sat down.