Mark Moriarty's crispy-skin mackerel with gooseberries. Photograph: Harry Weir Sat Jun 06 2026 - 04:53Serves: 2Course: DinnerCooking Time: 10 minsPrep Time: 20 minsIngredients50ml elderflower cordial100ml white wine vinegar3tbs good quality olive oilHandful fresh gooseberries2 mackerel (ask your fishmonger to debone)3tbs porridge oats2tbs vegetable oilSea salt Place the elderflower cordial, white wine vinegar, and olive oil in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Then remove from the heat and add the fresh gooseberries. Set aside and allow it to cool; the gooseberries will soften in the residual heat from the liquid. Place the porridge oats in a blender and blend to a rough powder. Spread the blended oats out on a plate and place the mackerel fillets skin side down on the blended oats to dust the skin.Place a nonstick frying pan on the heat and add the oil. Place the mackerel in skin-side down before the pan is very hot, and place a bit of weight on top (you can keep some constant gentle pressure on by pressing on them with a spatula while they cook – doing this prevents the mackerel from curling). Cook for three to four minutes until the skin is browned and crispy, then turn the fish in the pan and remove the pan from the heat. To serve, place the crispy mackerel fillets on a plate, season with sea salt, and dress with a spoon of the gooseberries. Mark MoriartyMark Moriarty is an award winning chef, TV host, author and Irish Times columnist.