Warm Lobster Mackerel Salad with Pickled Turnip and Rhubarb

This Warm Lobster Mackerel Salad with Pickled Turnip and Rhubarb is beautiful when made with super fresh lobster and mackerel. It first featured on James' American Adventure!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 red turnips or radishes, sliced very thinly (preferably with a mandolin)
  • 3 x 20cm (8in) sticks of young rhubarb, cut on the diagonal into 2cm (3/4 in) pieces
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cooked lobster, meat removed from the shell
  • 1 tablespoon micro salad leaves
  • A few leaves of hyssop (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 150g (5 ¼ oz) mackerel, filleted and pin-boned
  • 1 small shallot
  • ¼ apple, thinly sliced and chopped into julienne strips
For the mayonnaise:
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • 100ml (1/2 cup) light olive oil
  • ½ lemon, juiced

Method

Put the vinegar, sugar and salt into a pan and place over a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil. Add the turnip (or radish) and rhubarb pieces to the vinegar mixture and take the pan off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the mayonnaise, put the egg yolk and mustard into a medium bowl and whisk together. Slowly add the oil, starting with a drop at a time, whisk continuously until the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify. Continue to whisk, pouring the oil in at a steady drizzle now until all the oil has been added. Finish by whisking in the lemon juice, and season.

Spoon the lobster meat into the bowl of mayonnaise. Add the micro salad leaves and hyssop (if using). Fold everything together. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and butter over a medium heat until the butter is foaming. Lay the mackerel fillets into the pan, skin-side down, and hold flat for 30 seconds. Season and cook for 2-3 minutes then flip over and take the pan off the heat.

Strain the pickled turnip and rhubarb. Line a plate with kitchen paper and spread the vegetables out over it to drain well.

To serve, place a 12cm (4 ¾ in) ring onto a large plate and lay a quarter of the turnip slices, slightly overlapping, all around it. Remove the ring. Make another circle in the centre, overlapping the other circle, so you have used about half the turnip slices. Do the same again on another plate with the remaining turnip.

Spoon half the lobster salad in the middle of each plate and top each with a mackerel fillet and a few more leaves of hyssop (if using). Slice the shallot into rings and arrange on top with the pickled rhubarb and turnip and the apple.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 red turnips or radishes, sliced very thinly (preferably with a mandolin)
  • 3 x 20cm (8in) sticks of young rhubarb, cut on the diagonal into 2cm (3/4 in) pieces
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cooked lobster, meat removed from the shell
  • 1 tablespoon micro salad leaves
  • A few leaves of hyssop (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 150g (5 ¼ oz) mackerel, filleted and pin-boned
  • 1 small shallot
  • ¼ apple, thinly sliced and chopped into julienne strips
For the mayonnaise:
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • 100ml (1/2 cup) light olive oil
  • ½ lemon, juiced

Method

Put the vinegar, sugar and salt into a pan and place over a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil. Add the turnip (or radish) and rhubarb pieces to the vinegar mixture and take the pan off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the mayonnaise, put the egg yolk and mustard into a medium bowl and whisk together. Slowly add the oil, starting with a drop at a time, whisk continuously until the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify. Continue to whisk, pouring the oil in at a steady drizzle now until all the oil has been added. Finish by whisking in the lemon juice, and season.

Spoon the lobster meat into the bowl of mayonnaise. Add the micro salad leaves and hyssop (if using). Fold everything together. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and butter over a medium heat until the butter is foaming. Lay the mackerel fillets into the pan, skin-side down, and hold flat for 30 seconds. Season and cook for 2-3 minutes then flip over and take the pan off the heat.

Strain the pickled turnip and rhubarb. Line a plate with kitchen paper and spread the vegetables out over it to drain well.

To serve, place a 12cm (4 ¾ in) ring onto a large plate and lay a quarter of the turnip slices, slightly overlapping, all around it. Remove the ring. Make another circle in the centre, overlapping the other circle, so you have used about half the turnip slices. Do the same again on another plate with the remaining turnip.

Spoon half the lobster salad in the middle of each plate and top each with a mackerel fillet and a few more leaves of hyssop (if using). Slice the shallot into rings and arrange on top with the pickled rhubarb and turnip and the apple.