how to cook fresh mackerel?????

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Cook a really deep and rich tomato sauce with fennel, courgette, peppers, garlic and caramelised onions, maybe butternut squash, pumpkin and a tiny amount of red chilli (sort of an Arabiatta sauce or a ratatouille with a bit of poke).

Run the fish under the tap as you press your thumb into the belly and press down on the neck as you strip out the spine and the guts in one (catch them in a colander/sieve, wrap in newspaper and bin them before they stink out the plughole or entice cats to try and choke themselves).

Place under a scorching hot grill until the skin bubbles and crisps.

Serve with tons of sauce and boiled/steamed potatoes.

Vaila

apart from frying or cooking in a sauce, something simple like eating it cold with boiled new potatoes, boiled egg some salad and a dressing

Fruball

My DD (age4) is fascinated by the fish on the fresh fish counter and has been asking for a while to have a whole fish.

I have bought smoked mackeral and she loves that, and she loves king prawns and smoked salmon

So, yesterday I bought 2 whole mackeral - thank goodness the lady on the fish counter could see I am a novice and asked me if I wanted her to take the guts out :eek: Needless to say I did

So, I have 2 gutted fish and am not sure quite what to do with them... pan fry/bake in foil? best herbs (not got many in)

got lemon in the fridge...

any ideas for a mackeral novice please?

mi_jardin

I'd grill them as is the first time you have them, they taste a little different to the smoked version, obviously. Either that, or if you can fillet them you could pan fry them if you like.

Pink.

Hi Frugal,

This thread has lots of advice on cooking fresh mackerel that should help:

how to cook fresh mackerel?????

I'll add your thread to it later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

meanmarie

Put a couple of slices of lemon in body cavity, put in square of tin foil, salt and pepper drizzle of oil, close over foil to make a parcel and bake for about 20 mins in hot oven....mmmmm

Marie

Fruball

Thanks all I didn't know how to fillet them but decided to pan fry them with some lemon... :eek: the bones :eek: Think I need to learn to fillet them.

BOTH DDs had some!!! DD1 will usually turn her nose up at anything new but she even liked it

I love it when kids eat good food

Thanks all

Primrose

We decided to support Hugh F-W's current fish campaign today and had mackerel fillets on roast winter vegetables for lunch, but even when very fresh the mackerel tasted very rich and I'm not sure we could face eating it very often.

Does anybody have any hints on how to get rid of some of the richness? I know it's supposed to be a cheap and healthy oily fish to eat, but would marinating in lemon juice or something similar help? Does anybody have any favourite mackerel recipes that they use ?

JulieGeorgiana

I find the salty flavour of Smoked mackerel goes very well with fried potatoes. I par boil potatoes, fry in a VERY small drizzle of oil... add 2 small Smoked Mackerel, then add lots of veg! You don;t have enough fish to notice it's richness and the saltyness goes well with the potatoes and the veg dampens it some.

We love this!

ubamother

soaking them in milk before using may help - I know it works with anchovies. They work well as a smoked fish risotto - esp with a bit of chopped bacon in too - the rice needs the saltiness and flavour