Smoked mackerel and beetroot salad is the kind of food I crave after December’s indulgences. Healthy without being “too healthy”, this winning combination of colours, textures and tastes feeds the eye before it feeds the rest of you.
The sharpness of the pickled beetroot contrasts beautifully with the mackerel’s oily richness, set off by the fiery horseradish dressing. I heaped forkfuls of it onto Ryvita crackers, and crunched away happily – feeling all Nordic – while catching up on the latest series of The Bridge.
Smoked mackerel and beet salad
(serves 4)
- 2 medium beets, unpeeled
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tb white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 Tb horseradish sauce (or to taste)
- 1 Tb chopped fresh dill (plus extra for garnish)
- salt and pepper
- 4 smoked mackerel fillets (I like the peppered ones)
- 200g baby salad leaves
- rye krisps, to serve (optional)
- Put the beets in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer until the beets can be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Set aside to cool, then peel and chop.
- In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with the salt and sugar until dissolved. Pour over the beets, add the red onion and mix well.
- In another small bowl, mix together the yogurt, horseradish sauce and chopped dill. Season with salt and pepper.
- Skin and flake the mackerel fillets.
- Divide the salad leaves between four plates. Scatter over the beetroot-onion pickle and mackerel, and add a dollop of horseradish-yogurt dressing. Garnish with more chopped dill and serve with rye krisps on the side.
Ten More Bites 
This looks lovely. Unfortunately my husband is not a beetroot fan, so it probably won’t get much of a chance in my house, but it looks fantastic! I like the ‘healthy without being too healthy’ logic too!
Thank you! Actually I was slow to appreciate the charms of beets myself, but like them in this dish.
Right on the money virtuous but delicious!
Thanks – it’s great when you hit that sweet spot!
Looks delicious!
Thank you!