SUMMERTIME sometimes offers Hastings’ beachgoers an extraordinary spectacle. When mackerel reach these coastal waters on their annual migration, the shoals of these pelagic fish – those that swim close to the surface of the sea – can be so enormous that the water appears to “boil”. Fishermen only have to dip a line of hooks into the water to catch eight fish at a time. The happy consequence for those who love to eat mackerel at its firmest, freshest best is that the independent fish stalls on the beach are loaded with them.

I used to cringe uncertainly over any offering of mackerel. Its high oil content means the fish deteriorates quickly. If you taste one that has been out of the water for no more than a few hours, you will experience its delightful, delicately flavoured muscularity. Over time, the oily tint becomes more pronounced, the texture of the flesh more collapsed.