Mackerel Salad (Caribbean Style)

A quick and easy salad consisting of smoked flaked mackerel, sweet potato, cho cho (christophine), onions, pear (avocado) served on a bed of lettuce with an optional spicy vinaigrette dressing.

Here is another summer time salad which is brimming with flavour and packed with goodness.

This isn't just any type of salad but one that has a healthy balance of high carbs from the use of sweet potato, fats from the dressing and avocado, protein from the fish and a nice low carb mix from the cho cho, lettuce, cucumber and onion.

Salads can sometimes get a reputation for being boring and not very filling which why people may turn their nose up at them.

I purposely made sure this salad had the right mixture of carbs, protein and fats so you get the right balance of each one.

I won't deny that mackerel is very pungunt, to me it has one of the strongest fish smells that I use to hate when I was younger.

If you can get over the strong smell and appreciate it's many health benefits then you will learn to love it.

For this recipe I am using smoked mackerel fillets that has already been cooked. What I like to do as part of the preparation is to grill the mackerel for a few minutes just to give it some crispiness.

Of course this is an optional step so you don't have to follow suit.

Fresh vs canned

With the cost of living skyrocking you may want to opt for canned mackerel rather than its fresh counterpart.

No problem! Both variations of mackerel will work for this salad. The canned version has a more shredded texture and can sometimes come in its own oils.

Whatever version you use, is up to you! I personally refer fresh mackerel, the cost is higher but I like the texture and taste better.

Both contain the same amount of omega 3 fats, high levels of protein, B vitamins and other essential minerals.

 The canned stuff can last for months where as the fresh ones have a short shelf life. Therefore, there is that element of longivity that might be a selling point so that's something you may want to consider.

The steps

• Arrange the lettuce, avocado (pear), cucumber and onion in 4 separate bowls and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the sweet potatoes by either boiling them or steaming on medium heat in a medium sized saucepan until fork tender (should take about 10-15 minutes).
• Drain the water off the potatoes and cho cho and allow to cool.
• Once cooled arrange the potatoes, cho cho and flaked mackerel onto the salad bed.
• Prepare the dressing by combining and whisking the extra virgin olive oil, agave nectar, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, thyme, garlic granules, black pepper and pink salt in a small bowl.
• Drizzle the dressing all over each salad bowl and serve accordingly.

Note and tips

• Keep the salad refrigerated if you don't plan on eating it straight away.
• You can bring this salad on the go with you by storing it in a Mason jar.
• If you can't get hold of cho cho/christophine and zucchini/courgette works just fine.
• You can get cho cho/christophine from any market/supermarket in any Caribbean neighbourhood.
• You can use canned mackerel instead which is more cost effective than using fillets.
• You can use any other type of vinegar in place of balsamic.

More salads to try

• Green Fig Salad (Green Banana Salad)
• Vegan Bean Salad
• Jamaican Roasted Ackee Salad
• Jamaican Potato Salad
• Caribbean Salt Fish Salad
• Low Carb Keto Shrimp Salad
• Vegan Caribbean Salad
• Prawn and Mango Salad
• Egg Leafy Green Salad

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