Chwinamul Smoked Mackerel Salad

Quick answer

Total time: 20 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

Flaked smoked mackerel sits at the center of this salad, bringing an oily, smoke-forward richness that contrasts directly with the clean, grassy notes of briefly blanched chwinamul.

The chwinamul is blanched just long enough to remove its raw edge while retaining its green color and faint herbal bitterness. Cooked green lentils add earthy substance and make the salad genuinely filling. Halved cherry tomatoes introduce a burst of juice that cuts through the mackerel fat and keeps the dish from feeling heavy. A vinaigrette built from Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil draws the separate elements together, and the smoky fat from the mackerel gradually bleeds into the dressing as it sits, deepening the overall flavor. The combination of protein from the fish, fiber from the lentils and greens, and healthy fat from the mackerel and olive oil makes this a nutritionally complete single-bowl meal.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

smoked mackerel fillet160 gg

chwinamul greens90 gg

cooked lentils100 gg

cherry tomatoes100 gg

onion50 gg

Dijon mustard1 tsptsp

apple cider vinegar1 tbsptbsp

olive oil1½ tbsptbsp

honey1 tsptsp

black pepper¼ tsptsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Trim 90 g chwinamul, blanch for 20 seconds, rinse in cold water, and let cool.

Squeeze out moisture and cut into 4 to 5 cm pieces.
2

Step

Remove the skin from 160 g smoked mackerel and run your fingers through the flesh to feel for small bones.

Flake into large chunks.
3

Prep

Slice 50 g onion as thin as possible and soak in cold water for 5 minutes.

Drain. Halve 100 g cherry tomatoes.
4

Step

Whisk together 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 1.5 tbsp olive oil, and 1/4 tsp pepper until emulsified.
5

Heat

Combine chwinamul, 100 g cooked lentils, cherry tomatoes, and onion in a large bowl.

Add two-thirds of the dressing and toss gently.
6

Finish

Place the smoked mackerel on top, spoon over the remaining dressing, fold gently, and serve at once.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Oily smoked mackerel flakes provide a rich contrast to the clean, grassy scent of blanched chwinamul herbs.
Finish cue: Place the smoked mackerel on top, spoon over the remaining dressing, fold gently, and serve at once.