Butterfly grilled mackerel, tomato chickpea orzo & burnt lemon.

Serves; 2.

Cooks in; 30 mins.

Preparation time; 15 mins.

Difficulty; easy.

Take yourself to a summers evening in the Mediterranean and replenish your soil with this fresh, citrus and tangy recipe. Packed with protein and good oily fats this meal will leave you satisfied but feeling light and energised.

Why mackerel?

As mackerels belong to the "oily fish" category, they're one of the best sources of omega-3s — good fats that keep your heart and brain healthy. A 3-ounce cooked portion of Atlantic or Pacific mackerel contains over 1,000 milligrams of omega-3s — much more than what you can find in most other seafoods.

Why chickpea orzo?

Chickpea orzo is a great gluten free substitute for regular orzo and is packed full of protein.

2 mackerels (I use 1 per person and ask my local fishmonger to butterfly mine. Don’t worry you can also do this recipe with mackerel fillets bought from the supermarket. I use a fishmonger due to freshness and quality which restores greater nutrients. But I also appreciate people don’t have access to a fishmonger at ease)

100g chickpea orzo (I use Pro Fusion- Driven by Nature)

Cold pressed olive oil

For the chickpea orzo tomato sauce;

1 red onion (diced)

2 garlic cloves (diced)

10 cherry tomatoes

Cold pressed olive oil

Handful of parsley (roughly chopped)

100ml of vegetable broth (I use Freja)

Dash of water

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

200g of chopped tomatoes (I se Mr.Organic as there are no nasty preservatives)

For serving;

Handful of coriander (roughly chopped)

1 lemon (sliced in half)

Ingredients.

  1. Preheat the grill to 200 degrees and bring a pan of water to the boil.

  2. In a frying pan add a touch of oil and your diced onion. Cook for 2 minutes. Then add your garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

  3. Then add your cherry tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the cherry tomato skins start to split and soften. Then use a masher to press down on the tomatoes to create a juicy sauce.

  4. Then add your salt, pepper, parsley and chopped tomatoes. Let this simmer on a low heat until you add your cooked chickpea orzo.

  5. Place your mackerel fillets on a lined oven tray (if your using fresh mackerel, don’t do this if you have bought pre-cooked from supermarket). Drizzle cold pressed olive oil over your mackerel with some pepper and salt. Place under the grill and cook for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. They should have a lovely meaty, white look to them.

  6. After placing your mackerel under the grill. Add your chickpea orzo to the boiling water and cook for 6-7 mins or until softened. Drain and then add to your simmering tomato sauce. Mixing well to allow the orzo to absorb the sauce.

  7. In another frying pan. On high heat place your half sliced lemons face down on the pan to char and create a burnt appearance. This should take 2-3 minutes.

  8. Remove your mackerel from the grill and plate. Then add your tomato chickpea orzo to the plate and burnt lemon.

  9. Garnish with fresh coriander if desired. Don’t forget to give that lovely burnt lemon a squeeze over your freshly cooked mackerel.

Method.