Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz caster sugar
• 50g/2oz sultanas
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• leaves only
• 40g/1¾oz piece fresh root ginger
• peeled and finely chopped
• ½ shallot
• finely chopped
• 100ml/3½fl oz cider vinegar
• 300g/10½oz fresh gooseberries
• topped and tailed
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250g/9oz salmon fillet
• skin and pin bones removed
• flesh roughly chopped
• 1 lemon
• juice only
• 110ml/4fl oz double cream
• 4 whole mackerel
• heads and guts removed
• de-boned (you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
• 4 sprigs fresh tarragon
• leaves only
• 600g/1lb 5oz ready-made all-butter puff pastry
• 2 free-range egg yolks
• lightly beaten
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• For the chutney
• heat the sugar in a large
• heavy-based pan over a low heat
• stirring well until it has melted and turned golden-brown (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.). Stir in the sultanas
• thyme
• ginger and shallot.
• Add the cider vinegar and gooseberries to the pan
• stir well and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes
• stirring occasionally
• until the gooseberries have softened and broken down. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• then set aside to cool slightly.
• For the mackerel
• preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
• Blend the salmon and lemon juice to a fine paste in a food processor. With the motor still running
• gradually add the cream in a thin stream until all of the cream has been incorporated into the mixture and the paste has thickened to a fluffy mousse. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• One by one
• carefully stuff the cavities of the mackerel first with the tarragon leaves
• then with the salmon mousse.
• Roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 0.5cm/¼in. Cut the pastry into four rectangles - these should be long enough to wrap around the stuffed fish and half as wide as the fish (about 15cm x 18cm/6in x 7in).
• Brush each pastry rectangle with a little of the beaten egg
• then wrap one rectangle around the middle of each fish
• pressing the ends of the pastry together underneath the fish to seal (use a little more beaten egg for this if necessary).
• Place the wrapped
• stuffed fish onto a baking tray. Wrap the tail of each fish in greased aluminium foil to stop them from burning. Sprinkle a little sea salt over each fish.
• Bake the stuffed mackerel in the oven for 18-20 minutes
• or until the pastry is risen and golden-brown and the fish are cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for about five minutes.
• To serve
• cut each mackerel in half and serve with a dollop of gooseberry chutney.