Pan-grilled mackerel with parsley butter

Method

1. First, make the parsley butter. Cream the butter, stir in the parsley and a few drops of lemon juice at a time. Roll into butter pats or form into a roll and wrap in greaseproof paper or tin foil, screwing each end so that it looks like a cracker. Refrigerate to harden.

2. Heat the grill pan.

3. Dip the fish fillets in flour which has been seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Shake off the excess flour and then spread a little butter with a knife on the flesh side, as though you were buttering a slice of bread rather meanly.

5. When the grill is quite hot but not smoking, place the fish fillets butter-side down on the grill; the fish should sizzle as soon as they touch the pan.

6. Turn down the heat slightly and let them cook for four or five minutes on that side before you turn them over. Continue to cook on the other side until crisp and golden.

7. Serve on a hot plate with some slices of parsley butter and a segment of lemon.

8. Parsley butter may be served directly on the fish, or a pretty shell at the side of the plate. Garnish with parsley and a segment of lemon.

9. Note: Fillets of any small fish are delicious pan-grilled in this way. Fish under 900g such as mackerel, herring and brown trout can also be grilled whole on the pan. Fish over 900g can be filleted first and then cut across into portions. Large fish 1.8-2.7kg can also be grilled whole. Cook them for 10-15 minutes approx on each side and then put in a hot oven for another 15 minutes or so to finish cooking.