Seared mackerel with gooseberry

Method

Prepare the gooseberry sauce by softening the diced shallot in 15g butter without colouring, add the gooseberries, sugar and thyme, then deglaze with white wine and fish stock; simmer for 8-10 minutes until the gooseberries break down, remove thyme, pass through a fine sieve and whisk in remaining butter for gloss and body. Pat the mackerel fillets dry with kitchen paper and season the skin side generously with sea salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat until just smoking, then place the mackerel skin-side down and sear for 4-5 minutes without moving until the skin is crisp and the flesh is cooked through two-thirds of the way. Turn briefly and finish flesh-side for 30 seconds, basting with foaming pan juices. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon the warm gooseberry sauce onto warm plates, place the mackerel skin-side up on top, and garnish with crisp herb salad or microgreens if desired.