• Brine and smoke the mackerel fillet according to the instructions in this post.

Pickled Beets (2a3 weeks in advance)

• Peel the red beets and remove the hard pieces. Take a digital kitchen scale and weigh the weckpot and write down this weight. Cut the red beets into slices of equal thickness and add to a large weckpot.
• Cut the red beets into slices of equal thickness and add to the weck pot. Add water until the beets are underneath. Measure the total amount and substract the the weight off the weckpot.
• Pour the water back into another bowl and add 2% salt of the just measured total weight (without the weckpot). Dissolve the salt in the water and pour it back to the red beets. (The products have already been weighed in the list of ingredients)
• Add the seasonings and cover the beetroot with a weight (e.g. frozen ziplock bag filled with water) so that the beetroot remains under the moisture.
• Cover the jar with a lid (preferably with water lock) and place 2 to 3 weeks in a dark place at room temperature. If your pot does not have a water trap, release some accumulated air from the fermentation every day, so that the pressure does not become too high (and prevent your beets from causing a tingling mouthfeel).
• Once ready, the fermented beets can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Finishing

• Mix the yogurt with the finely chopped mint.
• Grill a piece of bread and brush it with the mint yoghurt.
• Cut the beetroot into fine strips and divide to taste over the toast.
• Mix the ingredients for the dressing and sprinkle lightly over the beetroot.
• Add a few pieces of smoked mackerel fillet on top of the toast and finish off with the leaves of fennel (or citrus cress, finely chopped lemon verbena, ...).

Serve on a sunny day and enjoy this funky light lunch.