I’ll admit, I haven’t been cooking much lately – it’s restaurant week in Newcastle and we’ve been trying some of the City’s specially prepared set menus. It’s been great, but the waistline will only take so much.

So, I thought I’d post this dish I made last weekend. We actually had it for breakfast but it would make a great light lunch.

Mackerel has made the headlines in the UK recently, being reduced from a fish ‘suitable to eat’ by the Marine Conservation Society to one we should eat only occasionally. Shame as it’s a favourite of mine and very good for you. The jury is still out apparently though so let’s see what happens.

This is very simple but very tasty, if a bit decadent, using butter and a little single cream. The mackerel is grilled under a high heat and combined with scrambled egg, parsley and  wholegrain mustard. It’s served up on some buttered hot rye bread toast. Heaven.

I used a take on the Heston Blumenthal ‘bain-marie’ method for cooking the eggs as it leaves them lovely and soft, but the regular pan method works too!

Serves 2

• Two smoked mackerel fillets
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 4 free-range eggs
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• About 2 tbsp single cream
• 1 knob butter
• 2 sliced of rye bread, toasted and buttered.
• Salt and Pepper
• Tartare sauce to serve.

Remove the skin and grill the mackerel fillets under a high heat, skinned side down, until nicely coloured. About 5 minutes if the grill is preheated.

Turn the grill off and leave at the bottom until ready to use.

Next – make the scrambled egg. in a small pan, bring some water to a boil (or use some from a kettle). Add a heat proof bowl on top so it sits on top of the pan and melt in the butter. Whisk in four eggs thoroughly until an even colour. With the water boiling below, stir often; it takes a while but the eggs will eventually begin to scramble. The gentle heat allows you to get the consistency just right, and catch it before it starts to turn ‘rubbery’.

Whilst this is happening, get the toast under the grill.

Once ready (a cooked risotto-like consistency), remove the bowl from the heat.

Slice the mackerel fillets and add to the eggs along with the cream and mustard. Stir thoroughly. Season with the pepper and salt only if it’s needed (the mackerel should be salty enough). Finish with the parsley and serve up on the toast, with some tartare sauce if you like!