Monday 9 January 2012

#OccupyNigeria... With Smelly Mackerel

I miss home terribly! Despite what's going on in Nigeria right now. I wish I was there giving my own two kobos on the matter at hand, doing what I can to help bring about the change we need for a better Nigeria. I am proud of everyone that's standing up for the good change we deserve. There's that saying that if you don't stand up for something you would fall for anything! Anyway I hope people protest peacefully. Please stay safe those of you at home.

It's so funny that the memory that keeps playing in my head is that of Balogun market on Lagos Island where I used to get dragged by my mum to buy stuff for school. Why the market I don't know maybe it is because the removal of fuel subsidy is affecting the price of everything in the market. Watching my mum negotiate with the sellers, I learnt how to haggle. And I think I am pretty good. I have practised this skill every chance I got. I even tried it at TK Maxx and it worked. The market sellers in Morocco didn't like me much!

 Another memory I have of Balogun market, is the smell. It always smelt of smoked mackerel. You could spend five minutes there and come out reeking of smoked mackerel. To remove the forces that are resisting change, good change in Nigeria, I would hide smoked mackerel in the houses. Eventually their houses would stink so bad they would have to leave the country!

I remember every corner we turned to there was always women selling smoked fish. My mum would always buy some and make some local stew we ate with boiled rice after our hard day at the market. You can guess this part what was I always looked forward to. I know I know, I am obsessed.

So to remind myself of a little bit of home, for brunch today I made mackerel on toast. I got the recipe from Nigel Slater and tweaked a bit:

Before toasting
Ingredients:

4 medium sliced bread
black pepper
mackerel fillets
5 tbsp double cream
60g Parmesan
1 tbsp chopped parsley


Have four slices of your favourite bread ready toasting under the grill. Peel the skin off the mackerel and flake into a bowl. Add four tablespoons of double cream, grate in 50g of Parmesan, add a pinch of black pepper and mix with a fork. Add a spoonful of chopped parsley and mix again.

Pile the mixture onto the toast. Add a final drizzle of cream and a scattering of grated Parmesan and put them under the grill for 3-4 minutes. Serve when they start to bubble and brown.

Mackerel on Toast
 






6 comments:

  1. I on the contrary am rubbish at bargaining. Only did it once in two whole weeks in Lagos *shamed face*! This recipe sounds good - and I love to eat as much fish as I can!
    Do you know what this reminded me of? Sardine sandwiches Naija style - where you mix the sardines with butter? Yum yum, I'm going to have to have that soon :)

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  2. Deja vue boxing day. This is the best 'cheese on toast' I have ever eaten

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  3. @Vickii - I remember Sardine sandwich mixed with Blue Band butter. LOL. real yummy!
    @ Wifey, thanks hun.

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  4. this looks yummy!..right there with you on sardine and blue band ..yum!

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  5. Since I started following this blog I have put on a whooping 3.5kgs. I suggest you include appropriate work outs to burn the calories. That said I have enjoyed trying out the various dishes. I cant wait to try out the soup.

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  6. I recently just got married and my husby is tired of eating the same ol food everi day so I decided to check out food recipes on the internet. For the past two weeks, I v been using recipes frm u and lohi's creation and it been excitn. Husby woke me up wif best chef award this morn lol. Thanks Sasa, u r amazing!

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