Fried Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce

The combination of mackerel—fried, grilled or backed—and gooseberry sauce is said to have been introduced to Ireland by the Normans. It’s sharpness is excellent with the rich oily fish.

Ingredients
(4 servings)
4 mackerel
6 tablespoons of seasoned flour
6 tablespoons of bacon fat or butter
For the gooseberry sauce:
1 pound of gooseberries
3/4 Cup of cold water
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of fennel leaves, chopped

Instructions
Put the trimmed fruit in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil. Then add the sugar, butter and half the fennel. Cook gently for 6-7 minutes until the berries split and burst open. They should still show texture rather than be cooked to a puree. Stir in the remaining fennel. Gut the mackerel; cut off the fins; remove the head and tail and cut into filets, removing the backbone. Roll the filets in seasoned flour and fry in hot bacon fat until lightly cooked. Arrange the filets on each plate and serve with the hot sauce and new potatoes.