Mackerel tartare and smoked mackerel tartare sauce

Tartare can be prepared from any sea or anadromous fish of ideal freshness (fish frozen according to all the rules and never thawed is just that). You can try herring tartare, ivasi sardines, sea bass, catfish, halibut and, of course, salmon.

Ingredients

• 4 large frozen mackerels
• 3 tbsp. l. capers
• 6 small pickled gherkins
• 1 large long cucumber
• 1 medium bunch of green onions
• lemon and Borodino bread for serving
• For the tartar sauce:
• 150 g hot smoked mackerel pulp
• 3 tbsp. l. capers
• 2 small pickled gherkins
• 300 ml refined vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. l. dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. l. wine vinegar
• lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar and salt

Directions

1. For the sauce, all food should be at room temperature. Break the egg into a narrow glass hand blender. Add mustard, vinegar, salt, sugar and 100 ml oil. Whisk until smooth. Add another 100 ml, beat again. Pour in the last 100 ml and beat into a thick emulsion.
2. Chop the smoked fish with a knife, removing all bones. Chop the gherkins very finely, chop the capers too; add all prepared ingredients to the sauce, season with lemon juice to taste.
3. Remove the mackerel from the freezer and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Using a chef's knife, cut off the fish's head (just below the pectoral fins) and tail (at the level of the anal fin). Place the carcass upright and use a chef's knife to cut off the belly.
4. Put the carcass on. Place the chef's knife in the plane of the table just above the spine. Holding the fish on top with the palm of your hand, cut off the top fillet. The rib bones remained on it.
5. Take the fillet knife. Place the fillet with the bones facing up, place the knife under the rib bones. Press the fish from above with your other hand, and press the knife against the bones from below - this way you will capture a minimum of pulp. Smoothly cut the bones along with the dark film.
6. There is a dark line in the middle of the fillet. There are bones in it, they need to be cut out. Make two parallel cuts on the sides of this strip, backing 2 mm. Remove the strip.
7. Using a chef's knife, cut off the spine from the second piece of fish, placing the knife under it. Press the fish with your other hand, and press the knife to the spine. Pick up the edge of the leather with a knife and, gently pulling to the other side, remove it.
8. Cut the fillets into neat small (4–5 mm) cubes. Salt and pepper a little, mix with 1 tbsp. l. tartar sauce and thinly sliced ​​white chives.
9. Peel the long-fruited cucumber, remove the seeds with a spoon, cut the pulp into small cubes, salt just a little. Slice the gherkins as well. Leave the capers whole or cut in half.
10. Place the fish in the center of the plates, with chopped green onions, cucumbers, gherkins and capers around. Place the sauce in separate bowls or also place on plates. Serve with lemon and Borodino bread.