In The Kitchen: Smoked Mackerel Tacos with Yogiyo

I love tacos – crispy golden tortilla shells that hold a world of saucy, spicy goodness… every bite is simply delicious. I am used to tacos with beef mince covered in cheese and salsa, but when Yogiyo kindly sent me some recipes with a Korean twist I spotted a smocked mackerel taco recipe – I just had to try it. Being a huge lover of fish and a foodie explorer, I’m always open to trying something new. This recipe called for scrumptious taco shells, full flavoured oily fish and crisp Korean vegetables, which are readily available at any supermarket.

Once you construct your overflowing basket of goodness, you take your first crunchy bite into the succulent taco – be warned, it’s going to get devilishly messy but you won’t be able to stop yourself. The snap of the warm, golden taco contrasts perfectly with the cool, sharp bite of the Korean vegetables and the smoothness and creaminess of the mackerel. You then get a kick from the Yogiyo Gochu Jang Korean chilli sauce which just explodes in your mouth for the perfect foodie satisfaction factor. Are you now ready to try this at home?

It’s a fairly light meal and what I enjoy most about the smocked mackerel tacos is that it’s a proper ‘get your hands dirty’ food – create loads of these parcels for a dinner party and let you guests tuck in.

What you will need (serves 4)

For the mackerel filling:
- 4 smocked mackerel fillets, skinned and sliced
- 1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 50ml freshly squeezed lime juice and zest
- 50ml freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
- 4 tbsp Yogiyo Gochu Jang chilli sauce for dipping
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- Salt & pepper to taste
Crunchy Asian Vegetables:
- 8 radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, coarsely grated
- 4 spring onions, finely shredded
- 100g bean sprouts
- 50ml sesame oil
To serve:
- 100ml creme fraiche
- 25g coriander leaves
- Soft corn tacos

Now to get to the super easy recipe - mix all the mackerel filling items together in a large bowl. Then mix the crunchy vegetables and dress with the sesame oil. Heat the corn tacos in an oven until warm and fill with the mackerel filling and your vegetable salad. Top with creme fraiche and coriander - et voila! Your deliciously fishy tacos are ready to serve!

I first came across Yogiyo sauces whilst watching an episode of Dragons Den – Liam and I both loved the idea, and Korean sauces are very uncommon but so delicious!! The founder, Sue Youn, grew up learning the ropes of her mother's restaurant on the South Korean east coast. It was here she'd later meet co-founder Ben, a Londoner looking for a break from hectic city life. They used their life savings and travelled back to London with a handful of Korean recipes to set up a foodie business. Thankfully, their travelling Korean kitchen quickly became an instant hit on London's fledgling Korean street food scene.
Demand for dishes made with Sue Youn’s original chilli sauce very quickly reached sky heights and after selling bottles to regular customers and local delis the couple decided to take Yogiyo sauces to the public. Sue Youn and Ben appeared on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den and successfully secured a deal with one of the Dragons, Peter Jones.
You can now find the sauces at your local Sainsburys, or online! I loved discovering these bottles of Asian goodness - and I look forward to sharing more delicious recipes with you later on my blog.