crispy jacket potato with mackerel and white beans

Serves 1-2         Prep 40mins         Cook 20mins

This mean is the one constant in my life. Crispy jacket potato, white beans, and tinned mackerel. Zesty, herby, and packed with fibre — perfect for a work from home lunch or weeknight dinner.

2 large potatoes
125g tinned mackerel fillets in oil
400g cooked butterbeans
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 lemon
1 small white onion
2–3 large garlic cloves
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder
3 tbsp yogurt or Creme fraiche
handful dill (roughly 10g)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & black pepper

  1. Poke your washed and dried potatoes all over with a fork or toothpick. Rub with oil and whack them in a preheated oven at 200°C for 60 minutes, or until super crispy. Finish with salt. ***

  2. Finely chop the white onion, garlic & dill… Congrats — that’s all the chopping required.

  3. Heat a wide frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat and drizzle in as much olive oil as your heart desires. Once hot, add the chopped onion, followed by the garlic. Saute until softened but watch the heat, we don’t want these to brown but to stay translucent. 

  4. When the onion/garlic starts to catch slightly on the bottom of the pan, deglaze with the white vinegar (or white wine, if using).

    The pan needs to be hot enough so the vinegar will instantly sizzle when it hits the bottom of the pan.

  5. Let the liquid cook off for a couple of minutes, before adding the tin of butterbeans along with their liquid. Stir to incorporate everything.

  6. Add the vegetable bouillon and 80ml water to loosen things up.

  7. Reduce the heat and let the beans simmer until the liquid reduces slightly and the mixture thickens — about 5–7 minutes. Use your spatula to break down 1/5 of the beans to thicken the liquid.

  8. Turn the heat to low and stir in a dollop of yoghurt, followed by the chopped dill.

  9. Season with salt, cracked black pepper, and a generous serving of lemon juice.

  10. To assemble, spoon over the butterbean mixture over your sliced open crispy jacket potato. Flake over half a tin of mackerel per potato.

  11. Finish with another squeeze of lemon, flakey salt and lots of fresh dill.

    ***If you’re impatient like me, microwave them on high for 5–10 minutes to soften first (depending on how many spuds you’re cooking), then finish in the oven for about 30 minutes.