Maple roasted fennel with smoked mackerel and apple

When I’m working at home it’s all too easy for me to turn into the queen of procrastination. Endless cups of tea, a few loads of washing, a bit of sock pairing and anything else that’s got nothing to do with what I’m actually supposed to be doing! I also usually put my oven to good work, either roasting up some veggies for quick meals, baking or slow cooking a stew.

This week I’ve moved away from my winter staples of roasted root veg and onto my current obsession: fennel! I love this stuff and can quite happily much through a whole raw bulb all to myself. This time I thought I’d try something a little different by using some roasted fennel in my lunchtime salad. This is a lovely light, protein-packed dish with some pretty punchy flavours. The apple doesn’t keep so add it at the last minute.

Serves one but simply double up the quantities for two people.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 fillet of ready to eat smoked mackerel (I used peppered mackerel)
A handful of dill
1 red eating apple, grated.
1 bulb of fennel
Juice of half a lemon lemon juice

Method
Chop up your fennel into chunks and place on a roasting tray, cover with the maple syrup & give it a good mix round
Roast on a medium heat for around 20mins or until it softens and browns.
Grate your apple and place into a bowl with water and lemon juice.
To serve, place the cooked fennel on a plate and top with the apple and chucks of mackerel, sprinkle with some chopped dill and a little lemon juice.