Mackerel en escabeche with manzanilla sherry

No apologies for returning to one of my favourite drinks, manzanilla sherry, as it’s such a versatile food wine. This time I found a felicitous match with a dish of mackerel en escabeche which was served at one of my regular hangouts in Bristol, Quartier Vert.

Mackerel, as I’m sure you know, is an oily, rich-tasting fish which needs robust treatment in the kitchen and an accompanying drink with real bite and attack. The escabeche treatment (sousing the cooked - usually fried - fish and any accompanying vegetables in spiced vinegar then leaving it to marinate for several hours) suits it perfectly and also creates a useful, inexpensive starter that you can make well ahead. They have a similar preparation in the Caribbean where it is called escovitch.

Needless to say your manzanilla, like other fino sherries, should be served chilled from a freshly opened bottle. If you don’t drink it regularly, it’s best to buy it in halves.