Wildhive

David’s favourite summer dishes

Family BBQs, afternoons spent roaming the wilds, and long-overdue catch-ups that stretch on into the night - that’s what summer’s all about for us. But the thing our kitchen team looks forward to the most is the abundance of fresh seasonal produce that becomes readily available in the warmer months. David, our Executive Chef’s, approach to summer dining is all about creating dishes that lend themselves to sharing. We caught up with David to find out what he’ll be cooking up this summer.

“There’s really no better way to get a group of people together than by bringing a selection of delicious dishes to the table. Look around the table next time you’re eating with your friends and you’ll see what I mean. It’s almost like magic.”

But it’s not just his friends that David likes to cook for. At home, his partner, Sarah, loves nothing more than an evening in the garden with a glass of wine and the freshest seafood they can find.

“For a really refreshing summer dish, I’ll cure thin slices of mackerel in lime and grapefruit juice before adding mint and coriander from the garden to create a really simple ceviche - perfect when paired with a glass or two of Chalklands sparkling wine.”

Creating this light summer favourite yourself couldn’t be simpler either. Here’s how:

David’s simple summer mackerel ceviche

Ingredients:

500g fresh mackerel fillets
Enough lime and grapefruit juice to cover fish
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Bunch of coriander and mint
Pinch of salt, pepper and sugar
Tortilla chips to serve

  1. Thinly slice 500g of the freshest mackerel fillets you can get your hands on, before completely submerging them in a mixture of lime and grapefruit juice in a glass bowl. Cover with cling film and pop in the fridge for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  2. After the fish has finished curing, remove the fish from the juice and combine with 2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and a roughly chopped bunch of coriander and mint. Season well with a good pinch of salt, pepper and sugar to combat the acidity.
  3. If you’re sharing, why not use the ceviche as a dip for tortilla chips?

This recipe makes a really simple ceviche, but you can definitely experiment with different ingredients to create your own variation. Olives, onion, chillies and even pickled cucumber are great ways to enhance the flavour of the dish.

To find out what David’s serving up in the Garden Room this summer, click here. And if you decide to give this recipe a try at home, be sure to take a picture and share it with us on Instagram by tagging @callowhall_wildhive.