Mackerel with Apples and Beetroot Chutney on Verona Quartz

chef Greg Emmerson shows us how to prepare a delicious mackerel recipe

 
Mackerel with Apples and Beetroot Chutney on Verona Quartz - photo Marco Joe Fazio
 

Meet the chef, Greg Emmerson, who you may recognise from MasterChef where he made it to the semi-finals.

 

And here is Greg making the recipe in our outdoor kitchen. Verona Quartz is the worktop of choice for this recipe.

 

Mackerel with Apples and Beetroot Chutney on Verona Quartz

by Greg Emmerson


Serves: 2 people

Preparation: 30-45 minutes

Cooking: 30 minutes

ingredients

  • 2 fresh mackerel

  • 2 medium-sized beetroot’s

  • 1 Granny Smith apple

  • 150ml Sambaizu vinegar

  • sea herbs

  • 2g xantham gum

  • Kinshi seaweed

  • 10g caper berries (small)

  • 150ml Basque cider vinegar

  • 100ml water

  • 2 unwaxed lemons, finely grated zest only 100ml/3½fl oz lemon juice (about 2–3 lemons)

  • 1 red onion, finely chopped

  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds

  • 2 large cooking apples

  • 75g sugar

  • 25g salt

  • 10g tellicherry peppercorns

preparation

Wash and trim the beetroots, but do not peel. Put them in a large saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30–40 minutes until tender. This will depend on their size. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin by lightly rubbing it. Cut them into 1cm/½ cubes and set aside. 

Put the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, red onion, apple and fennel seeds into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. 

Place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple pieces have softened to a purée.

Add the diced beetroot and return the mixture to a simmer for a few minutes until the beetroot has heated through. Sprinkle in the sugar and xantham gum and stir until dissolved. Cook for 20–25 minutes or until the mixture is thick, glossy and jam-like. 

Just before the end of cooking, stir in the capers and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

Add the mackerel fillets to the pan (skin side down) and cook until the skin is charred.

Peel the Granny Smith apples and cut out several balls using a melon baller.

Prepare the pickling liquid by adding 150ml each of the Sambaizu and Basque cider vinegar, water, peppercorns, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat until lukewarm.

Add the apple balls to pickling liquid (leave for 20 mins).

Assemble dish. Place a spoonful of beetroot chutney off-centre on the plate. Carefully place a mackerel fillet on top of the chutney, add three apple balls and then sea herbs and seaweed.


project details

kitchen worktop: Verona quartz

chef: Greg Emmerson

presenter: Donna Thacker

production: Marco Joe Fazio Creatives

Marco Fazio

Marco Joe Fazio is CCO and director of photography at space+style™ by marco joe fazio Ltd, working in fashion, hospitality, food & drink, architecture and design.

Born and raised in Tuscany, Italy, Marco learned the rudiments of photography and the magic of the darkroom in his early school years. Thereafter, he worked in architecture, interior, and lighting design for two decades. During those years, Marco founded an award-winning architectural studio and managed a multidisciplinary design team, working mainly for fashion industry clients.

Since moving to London in 2008, Marco has been recognised as a Chartered Architect of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) while pursuing his dream of connecting the worlds of architecture, design, and fashion from the photographer's perspective.

After years of passionate dedication, hard work and professional achievements, he was awarded the Fellowship certification (FBIPP) by the British Institute of Professional Photography and won the Peter Grugeon Award for the Best Fellowship of the Year in 2016. Subsequently, he has been admitted as a member of the highly regarded Association of Photographers (AOP). 

Having achieved a stronghold in coordinated image and photography for the design and fashion world, Marco has taken his expertise into the hospitality market; luxury and boutique hotels, fine dining restaurants, and the drinks and beverage industry are all reaping benefits from his services.

Today, Marco is leading his agency in assignments in the hospitality, fashion, and design industries.

Creative photography, cinematography, coordinated images and brand marketing form the core of his services.

Thanks to more than a decade in the music industry, Marco has expendable knowledge in composition and sound engineering. That knowledge is a valuable asset in creating licensed soundtracks and magnetic sound designs for commercial productions.

Marco's passion and another branch of his business are mentoring and nurturing new visual arts talents. In 2016, he launched "telling [fashion] stories" – photography & set design workshops – and more recently, he has become a lecturer for the School of Art and Creative Industries at London South Bank University (LSBU).

The crossover between genres and industries is a peculiar and essential factor in his work, contributing to thinking outside the box and achieving a unique style rich in symbolism and content.

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