Warm Mackerel with Potatoes and Wild Garlic

This was a delicious dish, really easy to make but very flavourful and served with a green salad it makes a lovely light meal.

Warm Mackerel with Potatoes and Wild Garlic (from Ottolenghi)
(Serves 4)

4 potatoes, unpeeled
4 mackerel fillets, halved
salt and pepper
1 tsp sweet paprika
4 tbsp light olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
50g mixed salad leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon, cut into wedges

For the sauce:
250g Greek yoghurt
5g tarragon, chopped finely
2 wild garlic leaves, chopped finely
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
45ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne or chilli flakes

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

Toss the mixed leaves in a bowl with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, plus the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Cook the potatoes in salted water until very tender, about 45 mins. Drain and put to one side.

Sprinkle the mackerel with a pinch of salt and pepper and the paprika. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a pan and fry the mackerel for 1-2 mins on each side, until just cooked.

To assemble: Cut the warm potatoes into 1.5 cm slices. Arrange a layer of them on one side of a serving plate and spoon a little sauce on top. Continue with a couple more layers of potato and sauce and finish with the fish. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle on some sea salt. Pile the leaves on the other side of the plate and serve with wedges of lemon.

Mackerel with Bombay Potatoes and an Egg

Lovely crispy mackerel on a bed of potatoes with an egg on top! Actually I found this a bit much, the oiliness of the fish and the egg didn't really go together for me. Served it with a green salad.

Mackerel with Bombay Potatoes and an Egg (from Fish is the Dish)
(Serves 2)

2 mackerel fillets
2 large potatoes peeled and diced 1cm
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 chilli, sliced
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp grated ginger
3 spring onions, sliced
2 eggs

Preheat the grill.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender, drain.

Slash the skin of the mackerel 3 or 4 times then brush the mackerel fillets with oil, season and cook under the grill, skin side up until the skin is crispy, turn and cook the flesh side for one min.

Heat a little oil in a non stick pan, add the mustard seeds and allow to pop, next add the ginger, garlic, chilli and curry powder, cook for 1 min then add the potatoes and spring onions, cook turning gently until they are brown and crispy.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and poach the eggs.

Spoon some potatoes on to a plate top with a mackerel fillet, then an egg

Devilled Mackerel with Beetroot and Dill Relish

This is a really good way to have beetroot and mackerel. It's not a dish I would ever have thought of as working but it really did. I served it with a little steamed samphire.

 

 

Devilled Mackerel with Beetroot and Dill Relish

(Serves 4)

 

4 mackerel fillets, cut in half

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing

1 small pack cooked beetroot (around 300g)

1 small bunch dill, chopped, plus a few sprigs to garnish

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tomato, diced, to garnish

 

Brush the mackerel fillets on the skin side with a little oil, then rub in with your fingertips and season.

 

Grate the beetroot on a coarse grater into a bowl. Add the olive oil, then sprinkle over the dill and balsamic glaze to taste. Mix gently and season with salt and pepper.

 

Place the mackerel fillets, skin side up, under a hot grill for about 3 minutes, then turn over. Spread the flesh side with the Dijon mustard and return to the grill for a further 2 minutes.

 

Place a pile of the beetroot salad in the centre of each plate and top with the mackerel fillets. Serve immediately with the diced tomato.

Baked Mackerel with Ginger and Spring Onion

At very short notice I discovered that I was cooking dinner for a friend so I had a quick raid of the freezer and garden and came up with this. The original recipe is for sea bass but the mackerel worked just as well and I got that dose of oily fish! I served it with sticky rice and steamed green veg from the garden.

Baked Mackerel with Ginger and Spring Onion (adapted from Itsu The Cookbook)

(Serves 2)

2 mackerel fillets

2 spring onions, sliced

2cm fresh root ginger, sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Cut two A4 sized sheets of foil and lay a mackerel fillet on each one. Scatter over the spring onions, ginger and pepper, then fold up the foil, scrunching the edges together but leaving a small gap in the top of each parcel. Pour the soy sauce into the gap, then seal the parcels completely.

Bake for 8-10 mins, then carefully unwrap the parcels and transfer the fish to plates, pouring the sauce over the top. Serve with rice and steamed veg.

Smoked Mackerel and Potato Salad

This is a lovely oily fish salad and a variation on a mackerel potato salad, this one was a little more Mediterranean than ones I've tried before and it was really tasty.

Smoked Mackerel and Potato Salad (from WeightWatchers Sensationally Seasonal)

(Serves 2)

(11 WW ProPoints per serving)

200g small new potatoes

1/4 lettuce, shredded

pea sized blob wasabi

4 tbsp low fat natural yoghurt

150g peppered mackerel, flaked

150g cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 roasted red pepper, chopped

5 spring onions, chopped

10 black olives

2 lemon quarters to garnish

Being a pan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook for 10-15 mins. Drain and rinse under the cold tap. Set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, mix the wasabi and yoghurt together in a small bowl.

Put the rest of the ingredients except the lemon in a large bowl and toss together.

Divide the lettuce between two plates and top with the potato and mackerel mixture and drizzle over the dressing and serve.

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals: Mighty Mackerel with Mixed Tomato and Quinoa Salad

This is another Jamie recipe, I really do love this cookbook, everything is so simple but so flavourful. I used tomatoes from the garden and they were so lovely and fresh. Brilliant combination.

Mighty Mackerel with Mixed Tomato and Quinoa Salad

(From Jamie's 15 Minute Meals)

(Serves 4)

Salad

300g quinoa

1/2 lemon

800g mixed colour tomatoes

1 red chilli

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mackerel

4 mackerel fillets

1 heaped tsp ground coriander

1 tbsp oil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 garlic cloves

To serve

2 heaped tbsp fat free natural yoghurt

2 heaped tsp jarred grated horseradish

basil

Put 1 mug quinoa and 2 mugs boiling water into a medium pan with. Pinch of salt and the lemon half, then put the lid on and stir every now and again, cook according to packet instructions. On greaseproof appear, score the mackerel skin and rub the fillets all over with salt, pepper and ground coriander.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a large board or player, the finely slice and sprinkle over the chilli. Heat a pan with the oil and add the mackerel fillets, skin side down and cook for 3 mins. Strip the rosemary leaves over the top and then crush and add the while garlic cloves. Turn the fish when golden and cook for another 2-3 mins.

When the quinoa is cooked, drain it and use tongs to squeeze over the lemon juice, then spoon the quinoa into the centre of the tomatoes. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Lay the fish on top. Mix the yoghurt and horseradish together and dollop it over the fish. Pick over the basil and serve.

Honey and Soy Mackerel

I had some pretty fantastic meals last week, this being one of the best. I love mackerel, I *LOVE* mackerel, it has to be one of my favourite fish. This was a lovely Chinese style mackerel dish, really simple but very flavourful.I servied it with sesame stir fry veg.

Honey and Soy Mackerel
(Serves 1)

1 whole mackerel, gutted and cleaned
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp clear honey
1 knob stem ginger, finely chopped
juice 1 lime

Slash the fish 3 times on each side, cutting right down to the bone. Mix the soy, honey, stem ginger and lim juice. Rub all over the fish and well into the slashes. Lay on a foil lined baking tray and set aside for 20 mins.

Preheat the grill and grill the fish for 5-6 mins on each side. Serve.

Mexican Mackerel Nachos

I wasn't going to bother posting this but this about the third time I've made this dish and I love it so much it's going on the blog. I have also stockpiled several tins of the Limited Edition Mexican Mackerel so that I can make it in the future when they suddenly decide to withdraw the flavour, which they should not do, it's so good! If you need your hit of oily fish there is no better way to get it!

Mexican Mackerel Nachos (from a Princes Tin of Mackerel)
(Serves 1)

1 can Princes Mexican Mackerel Fillets
50g corn tortilla chips
30g cheddar cheese, grated
soured cream
guacamole
tomato salsa


Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

Arrange the tortilla chips in an oven-proof dish. Break the mackerel in to chunks and spread it and the sauce over the tortilla chips.

Sprinkle over the grated cheese and bake in the oven for 8 mins or until the cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream and tomato salsa over the top.

Cheesy Mackerel and Leek Pasta Bake

This was a gorgeous cheesy pasta bake with the addition of lovely mackerel and leeks. The original recipe called for a pot of cheese sauce but it's so easy to make your own, and much cheaper, so that's what I did. I served it with a green salad and froze the leftovers to enjoy another time!

Cheesy Mackerel and Leek Pasta Bake (from a Waitrose Recipe Card)
(Serves 2)

150g dried pasta
2 leeks, thinly sliced
40g butter

40g plain flour

600ml milk

100g cheddar, grated

2 tsp Dijon mustard
25g pack fresh chives, snipped into 1cm lengths
110g can steamed mackerel fillets, drained
25g grated cheddar

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions, adding the leeks to the pan for the last 3 mins of cooking.

 

Melt the butter over a medium heat in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir to form a roux, cooking for a few mins.

Gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time. Cook for 10-15 mins to a thickened and smooth sauce.

Remove the sauce from the hob, add 75g of the cheese and stir until it has melted into the sauce.

Drain the pasta and leeks well and toss with the cheese sauce, mustard and chives. Gently fold in the mackerel. Spoon into an ovenproof dish, scatter over the rest of the cheddar and bake for 15 mins until golden brown.

Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce

I went to Nottingham for the day in the summer with my Mum to see a couple of friends, who gave us a huge bag of gooseberries from their allotment. I don't think I've ever eaten gooseberries before and all I really knew about them was that they were exceptionally tart and so I stayed away. For dinner that night my Mum made Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce and I have to say I was dubious. I took a tiny teaspoonful to start with but once the taste hit my mouth I was won over. The sauce was amazing, lovely and sweet and it went perfectly with the gooseberries cutting through the oily fish. I also made the sauce to go with herrings, which I ate earlier this week and that worked just as well.

Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce (from Leiths Fish Bible)
(Serves 4)

4 mackerel

for the gooseberry sauce
340g gooseberries
30g caster sugar
30g butter
pinch ground ginger

Preheat the grill.

Clean the mackerel, cut off the fins and make 2-3 diagonal slashes into the flesh through the skin.

Prepare the gooseberry sauce: top and tail the berries and place them in a saucepan with a little water and the sugar, simmer until tender.

Push the gooseberries through a sieve. Beat in the butter and ginger and taste for sweetness. Add more sugar if they are too tart.

Grill the mackerel for about 5 mins on each side, depending on the size, or until cooked.

Serve the mackerel and serve the sauce separately in a  jug.

Fresh mackerel with roasted rhubarb

This was an interesting experiment but not one I much enjoyed. However, my rhubarb was a bit old and past it's best so I think that's why it was quite so tart. I might try this again next year using younger rhubarb and see how it goes.

Fresh mackerel with roasted rhubarb (from Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers)
(Serves 2)

4-5 stalks rhubarb good
shake of light brown sugar
2 fresh mackerel, filleted
a little plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, for dusting
a couple of good glugs of olive oil
a few sprigs of rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp capers, drained
splash sherry vinegar

For the roasted rhubarb, preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the rhubarb into 15cm/6in or so lengths and place in a roasting tin with half a tea-cup of water and the light brown sugar. Roast until just soft enough to take the point of a knife, about 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool, then drain, reserving the cooking juices.

Dip the skin side of each mackerel fillet into the seasoned flour to lightly coat. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Gently place the mackerel fillets in the hot pan, skin-side down, and scatter over the rosemary. Add the roasted rhubarb to the side of the pan to heat through and add the capers for a little vinegary flavour.

Turn the mackerel after just two or so minutes when you can see that the mackerel is cooked halfway up the fillet. Cook for a further minute or two, then add the sherry vinegar for richness and allow to just come to the boil in the pan before removing the mackerel and the rhubarb.

To the pan juices, add a little of the juices from the reserved roasted rhubarb to just lift the crispy bits from the pan where all the flavour is. Serve straightaway, with the sauce over the mackerel with the rhubarb on the side.

Grilled Mackerel Salad with Miso Dressing

This is a yummy and very easy summery salad.

Grilled Mackerel Salad with Miso Dressing (adapted from Delicious Magazine)
(Serves 4)

8  fillets fresh mackerel with skin on

4 tbsp oil

1cm piece ginger, finely shredded

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 red peppers, sliced

4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

4 small pak choi, leaves separated and stalks sliced

200g beansprouts

Bunch of red radishes, washed and trimmed but leaves reserved
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
salad leaves

 

For the dressing

3 tbsp mild miso paste (white miso is ideal)

1 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar

1 level tsp wasabi or horseradish

1 tsp sugar or honey

2 tbsp cold-pressed sesame oil

Preheat the oven to 240°C/fan220°C/gas 9. Run your finger along the middle of the mackerel fillets to check for any pin bones. Remove them with tweezers.

Rub the fillets with half the oil and lay, skin-side up, in a single layer on a roasting tray lined with baking paper. Bake the fish for 3-4 mins, or until just cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Heat the remaining oil in a large wok and fry the ginger and garlic briefly until just soft. Add the pepper, spring onions and pak choi stalks and stir-fry for 1 min.

Add the beansprouts and stir-fry for 1 more min. Fold in the pak choi and radish leaves, let them wilt, then remove from the heat.

For the dressing, mix the miso, vinegar, wasabi, sugar or honey and oil in a small bowl. Stir in 100ml water and set aside.

Place the salad leaves into a bowl, top with the stir fried veg, radishes and tomatoes. Remove the skin from the fish and flake into large pieces, place on top of the veg. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Avocado and Mackerel Spread

Ok, so whilst this looks and most probably sounds really disgusting it is actually really good. I have no idea how I ended up with the Juice Master book. I'm not into faddy diets that use up a lot of time but I've had the book for years and this is the only thing I ever make out of it! The original recipe uses sardines instead of mackerel but both work. It is lovely served in a pitta with some crunchy lettuce or last week I had it on sourdough bread, which was delicious too.

Avocado and Mackerel Spread
(adapted from The Juice Master: Turbo Charge Your Life in 14 Days by Jason Vale)
(Serves 2)

1 tin mackerel fillets in brine
1 large avocado
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper

Take the skin off the avocado and the stone out then mash together the mackerel and avocado until the avocado is mostly broken down.

Add the lemon juice and season. Serve in a wholemeal pitta bread with some lettuce.

Mackerel and Cream Cheese Pasta

On New Year's Day I wanted something for lunch that required the minimum of effort. I was a little unwell after the previous night's exuberance and spent most of the days in bed only getting up to eat! This was perfect carby comfort food with no more effort than boiling water, opening a couple of packets and cutting some broccoli. So simple but so comforting.

Mackerel and Cream Cheese Pasta (adapted from Kitchen Goddess (in training!))
(Serves 2)

140g pasta
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
2 cooked mackerel fillets (smoked, tinned, fresh, doesn't really matter), flaked
150g soft cheese
big squeeze lemon juice
salt and pepper

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions. For the last four minutes of cooking time add in the broccoli.

When the past and broccoli are are done, drain and put back in the pan, stir in the cream cheese and mackerel fillets and squeeze over the lemon juice. Keep over a low heat, stirring until the sauce is bubbling. Season and serve.

Basil and Lemon Chickpeas with Mackerel

I am off on holiday tomorrow for just over a week, so this will be my last entry until I get back as there is no Internet, although hopefully I'll be doing lots of cooking, as well as entering my Victoria Sponge cake into the local village show. I left for my parents house yesterday and one of my last clean out the freezer and fridge meals was this mackerel and chickpea dish, it was really simple to make and the only change I made from the original recipe was the addition of some green beans, which needed eating. It was also really tasty.



Basil and Lemon Chickpeas with Mackerel (adapted from Good Food Magazine July 2008)
(Serves 4)

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 bunch spring onion, sliced
1 large garlic clove, crushed
zest 1 lemon and squeeze of juice
2 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
100g green beans, chopped in half
150ml vegetable stock
85g sundried or fresh tomatoes, halved
4 mackerel fillets, skin on
1 large bunch basil

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, shallow pan. Add the spring onions, garlic and lemon zest, then cook for 2 mins until the onions are tender but still very green. Add the chickpeas, then stir until well coated in the onion mixture. Lightly crush with a potato masher, then add the stock, green beans and tomatoes. Simmer for 3-4 mins or until the liquid is absorbed, then set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Season the mackerel fillets on both sides and fry for 3 mins each side, starting on the skin side. You'll probably need to cook these in two batches.

Add the basil and a squeeze of lemon juice to the chickpeas, then season to taste. To serve, spoon the warm chickpeas onto serving plates, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and top with the mackerel fillets.

Devilled Mackerel with Potatoes and Spinach

One of the last dishes that I cooked in my room was Devilled Mackerel. I had some curry paste left over which needed using and found this mackerel recipe in one of my old Good Food magazines. I mixed the curry paste with some yoghurt and then put it on the fish, as I have a very low tolerance for chilli and this helps, but it wasn't in the original recipe.



This was a very tasty recipe, but some of the potatoes were not quite cooked in the 25mins, so I left them on a little longer, but the combination was fantastic and it was really simple to make. I cannot wait for the Internet to arrive only 7 days to go!

Devilled Mackerel with Potatoes and Spinach (adapted from Good Food Magazine April 2007)
(Serves 4)

4 mackerel, cleaned, gutted and heads chopped off
4 tbsp curry paste
4 tbsp plain yoghurt
2 tbsp olive oil
800g potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
250g bag spinach

Heat oven to 220C. Mix half the curry paste with some natural yogurt. Make a couple of slashes in both sides of the fish and rub with the curry paste and yoghurt mixture.

Heat the oil in a roasting tray, then fry the potatoes and onion for about 8 mins until starting to brown.

Stir the remaining curry paste into the potatoes, then sit the fish on top and roast for 20-25 mins until the fish and potatoes are cooked.

Lift the fish onto plates, then place the potatoes back over a high heat. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for 3-4 mins until completely wilted. Scoop out and serve with the fish.