Day 23: a smoky-sweet catch
Like most of us I’m sure, I just tend to cook what tastes good - or what I think will taste good - and therefore rarely consider whether I am using the right pasta shape to match the sauce. While I had every intention of following the instruction for Nigella’s Pasta with Mackerel, Marsala and Pine Nuts - and did in fact go to the shop three times in total to get the ingredients for it, simply because I pay no attention to my list and always get side-tracked at the supermarket - I was unfortunately met with disappointment when I couldn’t find any linguine in the cupboard. I had spelt spaghetti (for another Nigella recipe) but as I have never eaten that before either, I was unsure whether it’s flavour would go with, or against, the mackerel and marsala sauce. So, the inexperienced pasta cooker that I am, I opted for Mafalde (which I bought simply because I think it’s quite funky-looking!), but it turned out to be far too chunky and stodgy for a delicate sauce like this. Anyway, let me move on to the great things about this dish, and not focus on my amateur mistakes!
Nigella’s Pasta with Mackerel, Marsala and Pine Nuts
I have never eaten mackerel, not even smoked mackerel, which surprises me considering my love of smoked fish; but, this is a love I now extend to smoked mackerel thanks to Nigella.
When I was younger, I recall going on a fishing trip where I caught about six mackerel within the hour that had been paid for. The problem for me here was that I had to cull my own catch, which I had never done before, and it certainly wasn’t an experience I was keen to repeat.
I did try my catch but I couldn’t help but relive the culling experience with each mouthful I took, and I think there was born the reason I never looked at mackerel the same again. A valuable life lesson perhaps? I wonder if it is mildly hypocritical not being able to eat what you kill - in other words if you can’t kill it, don’t eat it - but, I am not a hunter and I do not feel you have to be one just to eat meat, or indeed fish.
Flavour musings
This is what I love so much about my 365-day Nigella cookalong; it is introducing me to ingredients that I have unfairly shunned for years and have been avoiding as a result of previous traumas that I have perhaps over-dramatized through the years.
Aside from my pasta mis-match, I enjoyed this dish very much. The tangy saltiness of the capers with the smoky oiliness of the mackerel worked in perfect harmony with the added sweetness from the sultanas, the latter being an entirely new concept in a hot pasta sauce for me. I am developing quite the passion too for the crunch of pine nuts in pasta dishes and the use of fortified/aromatised wines in my cooking. I believe I will have a long thank you letter to write to Nigella by the time I reach Day 365. And hey, you never know, maybe she'll frame it?
The anise sweetness from the dill here is a welcome addition too. I always forget to credit dill; it is underused in the UK but in Poland it is a popular as it is in Scandinavia. I love it on boiled potatoes simply with generous amounts of salted butter, and when I am feeling more adventurous - love to include a few teaspoons of grated horseradish.
I adore smoked salmon pate and have always wanted an alternative, or addition, on the table. This inspires me to try my hand at a smoked mackerel pate, perhaps for Christmas morning!
