January is the month for cutting back on the excesses of Christmas and starting out as we all mean to go on. Resolutions are made to keep fit, eat less and keep off the booze. We asked five top Chester chefs to share their top tips on eating healthily and create a favourite dish to help us on our way.
Joe Wright, head chef at Joseph Benjamin Restaurant and PORTA Tapas Bar
Top Tip
Contrast December’s meat and carbohydrate with bold Mediterranean or Oriental flavours and lots of fish. Not only does this refresh the palate, but you’ll find that the stronger flavours leave you more satisfied without eating the same volumes. This naturally tends toward dishes lower in fat and carbohydrate and richer in essential oils, vitamins and minerals.
Recipe
Mackerel Escabeche
(serves 4 as a starter or light lunch)
Ingredients:
4 Mackerel fillets (pin-boned)
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
60 mls Extra virgin olive oil
1 Onion (sliced)
2 Carrots (cut into Julienne)
1 Clove garlic (thinly sliced)
1 tsp Coriander seeds (crushed)
½ tsp Fennel seeds
(crushed)
3 Star anise
1 Orange
3 Bay leaves
1 Sprig of thyme
100 mls White wine
85 mls White wine vinegar
1½ tbsp. Demerara sugar
Method
Score the mackerel skin with a sharp knife and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan and add the vegetable oil. Fry the mackerel fillets, skin side down for 2-3 minutes until golden, turn over and cook for a further 30 seconds – 1 minute until just cooked. Lay the fillets out into a non-metallic dish.
Using the same frying pan add the olive oil, sliced onion and garlic, sweat gently for 5 minutes.
Add the carrots, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, bay leaves and thyme.
Peel the skin off the orange using a vegetable peeler and add the peel to the pan. Continue to cook gently for another 3 minutes.
Add the white wine, white wine vinegar and sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes.
When the carrot has softened but still has a slight crunch squeeze the juice of the orange into the pan.
When it comes back to the boil pour the mixture over the mackerel fillets.
Cover the dish with cling film and leave to marinade (Ideally overnight but for a minimum of two hours).
Serve at room temperature with some crusty bread or as we have done at Joseph Benjamin, on toasted sourdough bread with beetroot puree.
To see the recipes from the other four chefs clink on the links below:
Daniel Beech, sous chef at The Chester Grosvenor Hotel
Dave Ashton, head chef at Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel
Ben Finchett, head chef at the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill at the Doubletree by Hilton hotel and spa
Paul Wright, head chef at Chester Racecourse