Butter Lettuce with Mackerel and Sweet Mustard Vinaigraitte

Perhaps the perfect lunch for a warm summer day, this salad marries cool, crisp lettuces with divinely delicate mackerel filets and an herbaceous dressing made from the flavorful sauce they came bathed in. Aged parmesan, razor-thin radishes, and fresh-cracked black pepper all coralesce into a dish that’s as tinviting as it is defishious.

• 1 tin Berthe Mackerel Filets in Mustard Sauce

• 1 head butter lettuce

• 2 small red radishes, sliced thin on mandolin

• ½ small shallot, minced

• 1 tbs fresh tarragon, minced

• 2 tbs aged parmesan, freshly grated

• 5 tbs EVOO

• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Open the tin of mackerel and gently pour out as much sauce as you can into a medium mixing bowl. Gently remove the filets trying not to break them. Once removed, split them length-wise if desired and reserve to the side for later. Use a spoon or small spatula to transfer remaining sauce from tin to bowl.

Add the shallot, tarragon, parmesan, olive oil, vinegar, salt and black pepper to the bowl. Whisk vigorously until emulsified into a dressing that can still drizzle off the back of a spoon. Set aside to let flavors meld.

Rinse the butter lettuce and shake dry. Gently pull the leaves off the core, remaining intact. In a large serving bowl or platter arrange one layer of leaves and drizzle with half of the dressing. Arrange a second layer on top and drizzle remaining dressing.

Arrange mackerel filets on top, followed by the radishes, a gentle grating of parmesan and black pepper.

Enjoy!

Serves 2-4.