This month's Food Chain is a special Hairst workshop - we'll be joined by Steven Hutcheon who will be guiding us through how to smoke mackerel. Steven will be bringing along some locally caught mackerel to celebrate food that can be harvested from around the corner, whilst also sharing recipes for what he eats with his smoked mackerel.

A note from Steven -

I have fished since I was 5 and have always eaten what I have caught. I got a smoker as a present over 20 years ago. My first go at hot smoking salmon was successful, but the next couple were not. I did a bit of research and learned that you need to use a cure before smoking. Once I learned that, it was pretty easy.

For me smoking fish is just another way to cook fish, but one that lots of people like. It’s a great way of using mackerel, a fish people look down on both as a food and as a sporting fish. However, treated properly, both catching with a light spinning rod, and then cooking it fresh is a much underrated fish. Hot smoking mackerel is a great way of using a glut as it’s great straight from the smoker with new tatties and salad, mixed with mayonnaise, capers and gherkin on oatcakes or made into pate. My grannie passed on a great recipe for pate.

Mackerel come in shore in the Summer normally from late June till around September. You can catch them from a boat, rocks or harbours using feathers, lures or slivers of fish. One of my friends has a boat at Sandend where his granny used to live, and which I sometimes go out on with him. When I end up with more mackerel than I can use myself I smoke them and share them with friends who always seem happy to get them. For me mackerel represent summer, friends and harvesting your own food.

We'll be hosting this workshop outdoors in the Brander Garden so Square Deal doesn't get too smoky, with limited spaces available. Tickets are £5 per person*, payable on arrival in cash.

This event is now fully booked.

*If you'd like to attend but can't afford this price, please let us know!

About Food Chain
Which rich culinary backgrounds do we have resident in our own community? Come along to our monthly group cook-along to learn someone else's recipes of home. Together we'll learn about each other's cultural backgrounds as we cook.