Is it any wonder he affects a black cassock?
Here he comes now, among the mackerel gatherers

Who wall up their backs against him.
They are handling the black and green lozenges like the parts of a body.

Berck-Plage Sylvia Plath

Pickling is another method of cooking, without heat. The acidity of the vinegar has the same effect of denaturing proteins in meat and results in “cooked” flesh. When pickling it is possible to add a range of flavours to the pickle liqueur, which then infuse into the flesh of the picklee.

This method of mackerel combines Spanish and Japanese recipes for pickling the fish. It really preserves the wonderful ocean flavour of the fish meat, whilst brining in the piquancy of vinegar and the (European) flavours added to the liqueur.

100 ml rice vinegar
200 ml water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1/2 tablespoon of chilli peppers
1 tablespoon salt
1 large mackerel or two small mackerel
2 tablespoons sugar for covering the mackerel

• Fillet the mackerel and pin-bone the fillets. See how here
• Cover the mackerel in the sugar and leave for around 30 minutes.
• Wash off the sugar.
• Cover the mackerel in salt and leave for around 1 hour.
• Heat the vinegar, water, sugar and spices in a small saucepan until just boiling, then remove.
• Allow the mixture to cool for around 20 minutes.
• Wash the salt off the mackerel and place it in the vinegar mixture.
• Leave for 1 - 2 hours.