Rhubarb, Mackerel & Fennel Salad

I always get a bit silly about forced rhubarb. I think it’s because the season falls when the weather is at its bleakest and the veg patch its muddiest and least productive. In this context, the bubblegum glow of forced rhubarb stems feel like neon lights shining through the gloom, a brief respite from murk.

I’ve written about the mystical Yorkshire magic that produces forced rhubarb before (here, where you will also find a tasty rhubarb and saffron granola breakfast pot) so let’s get stuck into the cooking. After a breakfast pot, you might Rhubarb with Celeriac Soup for lunch. Next move on to Rhubarb and Seville Orange Ceviche and then for dessert, perhaps Rhubarb and Pistachio Macaroons or Rhubarb and Hazelnut Cake. But don’t rush ahead to dessert, as people often do with rhubarb, because rhubarb is fabulous with savoury dishes. Its sour crunch cuts through rich, fatty foods beautifully. Try the pickles in the recipe below with pork chops, roast duck, smoked salmon or, as here, oily smoked mackerel:

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Rhubarb, Mackerel and Fennel Salad

Yield: 2Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 20 MinCrunch and colour for a cold February day. The rich, oily mackerel is off set by the crunch of fennel and raw beetroot then topped off with soft cream cheese and, the hero, sweet and sour pink rhubarb pickles.

Ingredients

• 50g caster sugar

• 80g cider vinegar

• 120g forced rhubarb

• 250g fennel

• 2 small beetroot, peeled (one pink, one yellow if possible)

• 1 spring onion

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• 150g cream cheese

• 150g smoked mackerel

For the dressing:

• ¼ tsp honey

• 1 tsp mustard

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Start by quick-pickling the rhubarb. Melt the sugar into the vinegar over a low heat then set aside to cool. Cut the rhubarb stems into 2cm batons and add them to the cooled pickling liquor. Leave for 10-15 minutes (but up to 2 days) to pickle.

2. For the dressing, put everything in a jar with a pinch of salt and 2 tsp of the rhubarb pickling liquor. Screw the lid on, then shake until combined. Check the balance of flavours and adjust as needed – it should be sweet and sour and peppery at the same time.

3. Slice the fennel very finely with a mandolin. You can use a sharp knife and skillful hand if you prefer. Do the same with the raw beetroot and cut into matchsticks (or just use a julienne peeler). Finely slice the spring onion. Toss all the veg in a bowl with the dressing and the chopped parsley.

4. Next, spread the cream cheese over the base of a serving platter in uneven waves. Pile the dressed vegetables on top. Flake the mackerel fillets and scatter them over the salad, tucking them in here and there. Finally, drain the rhubarb and adorn the top of the salad with pink pickled jewels of rhubarb. Serve with crackers (I favour Peter’s Yard) as a shovel and for extra crunch.

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