Recipes - Mackerel

General Cooking Times (minutes)

170g/6oz Portions	Grill	Shallow Fry	Poach	Bake	Steam	Microwave	Deep Fry
Whole Fish	8-10	10-12	-	20-25	-	3	-
Fillets	5	7-8	-	15-20	-	1.5-2	-

Soused aromatic mackerel with onions, garlic and mint (Serves 4 as a starter)

2 pieces of star anise
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
4-5 allspice berries
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
6 cloves
A pinch of mace
2 small dried chillies
2.5cm fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
150ml white wine vinegar
50ml water
50ml dry white wine
4 level tablespoons sugar
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 mackerel, filleted
A pinch of salt
A handful of fresh mint, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Put all the dried spices and the ginger (but not the bay leaves) into a pestle and mortar. Give them a quick bash to break the seeds and berries open, then place in a saucepan with the bay leaves, vinegar, water, wine and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and discard the spices, then add the sliced garlic and onions, cover and cook gently for a further 10 minutes until the onions have softened. Place the fish flesh-side down in a casserole dish, sprinkle with a little salt and pour the spiced liquid over the top. The fish should be just covered; top it up with a little water if necessary. Cover the dish and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20minutes. Removed from the oven, sprinkle with the mint and serve.

This recipe was taken from Fresh, by Mitchell Tonks, published 2004 by Michael Joseph, Penguin and provided for Seafood Week (October 2004), Click Here for more information.

Beany Mackerel Pot (Serves 6)

4 x 170g (6oz) “ready to eat” peppered, smoked mackerel fillets, fresh or defrosted, skinned and roughly flaked
1 x 15ml spoon (1 tablespoon) sunflower oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
1 x 200g can chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g flageolet beans (or similar), drained
1 x 200g can baked beans
salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a large shallow pan. Cook the onion, garlic and pepper for 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes and beans. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally and reduce the heat.

Add the fish to the pan. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Serve with pasta.

This recipe was provided by "Good for you " for Seafood Week (October 2004), Click Here for more information.

Crispy Mackerel Fillets with Spiced Greens (Serves 2)

2 x 170g (6oz) mackerel fillets, fresh or defrosted
4 spring onions, 3 cut into 1 inch pieces and 1 cut into very thin strips
2 x 15ml spoon (2 tablespoons) olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
1 pak choi, roughly chopped
1 x 15ml spoon (1 tablespoon) soy sauce

Preheat the grill

Place the thinly sliced spring onions into ice cold water and refrigerate until required.

Brush the fish on both sides with half the olive oil and season. Place skin-side up on a lightly oiled rack and grill for 3 minutes. Do not turn over. Turn off the grill.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a wok, add the chilli and 3 spring onions and stir-fry for a minute. Add the pak choi and soy sauce and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Serve immediately in the centre of a warm plate, with the mackerel placed on top. Finish with a handful of the remaining, ‘curly’ spring onion, straight from the fridge.

This recipe was provided by "Good for you" for Seafood Week (October 2004), Click Here for more information.

Smoked Mackerel, Mango and Rocket Salad (Serves 2)

2 x 225g (8oz) ‘ready to eat’ peppered smoked mackerel fillets, fresh or defrosted, skinned and flaked
1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
4 spring onions, chopped
115g (4oz) rocket leaves
1 x 15ml spoon (1 tablespoon) lime and coriander dressing

Arrange the rocket leaves on a serving plate.

Mix the fish together with the mango, avocado and spring onions and spread over the rocket leaves.

Drizzle the lime and coriander dressing over the salad just before serving.

Serve with crusty bread.

This recipe was provided by "Fish in a Flash" for Seafood Week (October 2004), Click Here for more information.

BBC Recipes for Mackerel

Click Here to go to the BBC Lifestyle website.