Sometimes the weather at the beach hut can be a bit hit and miss: either too cold, too windy, too sunny but strange when it happens all at the same time in the space of 30 minutes.  That’s exactly how it was at lunchtime a couple of days ago.

My husband was working from home and I asked him to join me at the beach hut for lunch.  Luckily we can sit inside the hut without having to worry about the weather.  So we sat inside and watched the rain come and go in the distance and the clouds and sun go head to head for pole position.

We ate freshly caught mackerel from just off the shore here in Bexhill along with local Rhubarb and grilled sourdough bread.  The wind whistled through the beach hut and played havoc with the gas stove so I couldn’t get the frying pan hot enough for a super crispy fish but this didn’t affect the taste, well not for me.

I recently wrote an article for Sainsbury’s magazine on local produce and places to eat.  Sharing these finds and new places to eat is something I’ve been doing for friends for some time but seeing it in print will always have my heart.

Mackerel on Sourdough with Rhubarb Sauce for Two

1 mackerel filleted by fishmonger to provide two fillets with skin on

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 slices sourdough bread, griddled

Rocket leaves

In a frying pan, heat the oil until hot and add the mackerel skin side down and fry for 3 minutes and turn over and cook for 2 minutes.  Let rest while you assemble the dish.

Place the rocket on the bread and top with the mackerel fillet and drizzle over the rhubarb sauce.

Rhubarb Sauce

250g rhubarb, chopped

1 to 2 tsp honey depending on how sharp the rhubarb is

pinch of ground ginger

pinch of chilli flakes

salt and pepper

small sprig of fresh rosemary

Place the ingredients in a saucepan and gently simmer until softened, this should take about 15 minutes.  Pass through a sieve, removing the rosemary and chilli flakes as you do so.  Set aside until needed.

See my article in this month’s ~Sainsbury’s magazine.  If you aren’t able to buy the magazine, their website is a great go-to site for recipe inspiration and ideas.