Every so often it feels really good to eat a bowl of raw, shredded vegetables doused in an interesting dressing or perked up with some cheese or toasted seeds. The simple act of chewing your way through is enough to make you feel virtuous and purified. Perhaps even virtuous enough to squeeze in a sticky toffee pudding for afters?

This recipe came from Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey – shredded carrot, mango and smoked mackerel with a spicy and sweet dressing of lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce – all topped off with crunchy peanuts.

While it might sound like a strange combination, the flavours actually come together really well to create a colourful, light and refreshing salad. If you don’t have palm sugar or Thai basil and don’t mind veering from authenticity, then I imagine you could substitute honey for the palm sugar and basil for the Thai basil.

Ingredients

serves 2

4 smoked mackerel fillets, broken into large flakes
1 green mango, cut into matchsticks
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely chopped
small handful peanuts, roasted and chopped
small handful Thai sweet basil
2tsp palm sugar
1tbsp fish sauce
1tbsp lime juice

• Mix the smoked mackerel, mango, carrot, onion, peanuts and Thai basil in a large bowl.
• Mix the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice together in a separate bowl. Pour over the ssalad and toss together.
• Pile onto plates.

Tags: carrot, mackerel, mango, peanut

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