Oily fish such as herring are traditionally served with tart or pungent ingredients that offer a refreshing piquancy to balance the rich fish flavour. In this Scandinavian-style salad, apple, fennel and lemon juice offer the complementary contrast. Serve the salad for lunch or supper.
Replace the couscous with 280 g (10 oz) small pasta shapes, cooked and cooled. Gently stir the pasta with the herring and the apple salad, adding a little extra dill. * Make a delicious Italian-style mackerel and bean salad. Wrap a 450 g (1 lb) mackerel in foil and bake in a preheated 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4) oven for about 20 minutes. Cool, then remove the skin and bones and flake the flesh. Omit the couscous and the apple salad. Instead, mix together 2 oranges, peeled and segmented, 1 small bulb of fennel, thinly sliced, 3 spring onions, thinly sliced and a can of cannellini or kidney beans, about 400 g, rinsed and drained. Add the mackerel to the salad with 3 tbsp chopped parsley. Make a dressing with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and pepper to taste. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve on a bed of rocket, with crusty bread to accompany.
Greek-style yogurt is made from full fat cow's or ewe's milk, and it has a much thicker texture and richer taste than plain low-fat yogurt. Look out for the lower fat varieties of Greek-style yogurt now available, with 4% or even 0% fat content – they still retain the creamy texture. * The fat content of herring (and of the fat-soluble vitamins A and D) varies according to the season, with highest values occurring in late summer and lowest values in spring. Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin, vision and eyes and, as with all vitamins, for growth; vitamin D is vital for the efficient absorption of calcium.
B6, B12, E, niacin, iron, selenium * B1, calcium, copper, potassium * A, B2, C, folate, zinc