Papardele with Mackerel

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Prepare your workspace by setting out all ingredients.

Clean and fillet the mackerel, removing any pin bones, then cut the flesh into bite-sized chunks. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mackerel pieces and sear for 2 minutes per side until lightly golden, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the skillet heat to medium and deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine vinegar, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Let the vinegar reduce by half, about 1 minute.

Cook the pappardelle in the boiling salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve about half a cup of pasta cooking water before draining.

Add the drained pappardelle to the skillet with the reduced vinegar, tossing to coat and adding a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Gently fold the seared mackerel back into the pasta, being careful not to break up the fish too much. Drizzle with additional olive oil and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Plate the pasta immediately into warm bowls, finishing with a final drizzle of good-quality olive oil. Serve at once while hot.