SMOKY MACKEREL & GIANT COUSCOUS SALAD

Biting into the pearl sized Couscous, savouring the smoky taste of the Mackerel, the aromatic flavour of the Basil, crunchy texture of the Onions and juicy texture of the Tomatoes, made me smile.

The flavours worked perfectly and the only thing I wished I had was, whole grain giant Couscous  (for its added nutritional benefit).

In a bid to use up ingredients in my larder, I had to use the giant Couscous I had and carefully selected  all the other ingredients for their respective nutritional content and flavour.

Mackerel is a good source of Vitamin D, potassium and it’s  rich in anti inflammatory properties , which helps lower joint pain.The benefits of including oily fish to your diet , such as Mackerel, helps lower blood pressure and reduces fat build-up in the arteries.

Tomatoes, considered both as a vegetable and fruit contains a high amount of anti oxidants such as lycopene, which fights against different forms of cancer. Tomatoes are also rich in Vitamins A, C & K to mention but a few and should be included in your diet regularly.

The choice of adding the cheese to this recipe is about the added moorish flavour to the salad. The cheese can be omitted and whole grain giant Couscous used instead for a healthier salad.

This recipe is easy to prepare and can be made the night before, refrigerated and it’s perfect for a picnic or packed lunch. Wash this down with a glass of  refreshing Coconut water.

Preparation: 6 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 raw smoky Mackerel fillets (From Sainsbury’s)

150g of Giant couscous

300ml of Water

60g of grated Cheddar or Feta cheese

3 tablespoonful of Olive oil

2 large deseeded and diced chillies

1 medium finely diced White  Onion

2 large diced Tomatoes

10g of Greek Basil or any Basil

A pinch of milled black peppercorns

1 levelled teaspoon of sea salt

1 Lime cut into wedges.

Method

Preheat your grill to 180*c

Place the Mackerel fillets on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoonful of Olive oil.

Place the Mackerel in the grill for 8 minutes and start cooking the giant Couscous.

Pour the giant couscous in a saucepan with 400ml of water and place on a medium heat. Cook the giant Couscous for 10 minutes and set aside.

Remove the Mackerel from the grill and leave it to rest for 2 minutes. Gently peel the skin off and ensure there aren’t any bones left in the Mackerel. Roughly shred the Mackerel into chunks and set aside.

Transfer the warm giant Couscous, your preferred Cheese, Onions, Tomatoes , Chillies, shredded Mackerel , the remaining Olive oil and the juice from the grilled Mackerel to a bowl.

Mix everything together and serve with a wedge of Lime or Lemon.

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Enjoy this with a chilled glass of freshly squeezed Watermelon juice.

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All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.