Smoked Mackerel, Apple and Fennel Salad

Ten minutes, no heat, and one of the best sources of omega-3 you can buy

Fennel and oily fish have been served together in Mediterranean kitchens for a very long time, and September is when that pairing makes the most sense. Fennel is at its peak. The new apple crop is in. And a tin of smoked mackerel costs about three dollars.

Nothing here gets cooked. You slice, you whisk, you toss.

Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side

Ingredients

2 tins smoked mackerel fillets (about 4 oz each), drained
1 large fennel bulb
1 crisp apple, such as Honeycrisp, Gala, or Granny Smith
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice, about one lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
A handful of the green fennel fronds, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Method

Make the dressing first. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
Slice the fennel. Cut off the stalks and save the feathery green fronds. Halve the bulb from top to bottom, cut out the tough core at the base, and slice each half as thinly as you can. Add it to the bowl.
Slice the apple. Quarter it, cut out the core, and slice thin. Skin on. Add it to the bowl and toss everything right away. The lemon in the dressing keeps the apple from browning.
Add the fish. Flake the mackerel over the top in large pieces and fold it in once, gently. Small pieces disappear into the salad, and you want to see them.
Finish. Scatter the chopped fronds and the walnuts over the top. Serve.

Notes

Slice thin. This is the one part that matters. Thick fennel is tough to chew. A sharp knife is enough, and a mandoline makes it effortless.

If your store has no smoked mackerel. Tinned sardines or kippers work the same way. So does hot-smoked salmon or trout from the fish counter.

To make it without fish, use one can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, and add a pinch of smoked paprika to the dressing.

Making it ahead. You can dress the fennel up to two hours early and hold it in the refrigerator. Add the apple and the fish just before you serve, or the apple softens.

Save the fronds. They taste like mild fennel and they are the best part of the garnish. Most people throw them away.

Why this one is worth making

Mackerel is one of the small oily fish, which means it carries a large amount of EPA and DHA, the two forms of omega-3 your body cannot manufacture on its own. Small fish also carry very little mercury, because they live short lives and eat plankton rather than other fish.

The walnuts bring ALA, the plant form of omega-3. Your body converts only a small share of ALA into EPA and DHA, so the walnuts are a complement here rather than a substitute. Together on one plate, you get both forms.

Fennel and apple bring fiber, and the apple skin is where most of its fiber and polyphenols live. The lemon adds vitamin C, which helps your body absorb iron from the same plate.

Healthy cells, healthy planet. Small fish sit low on the ocean food chain and deliver more nutrition for fewer emissions than anything else in the protein aisle.

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