Mackerel Recipes

Here are a few of my favourite Mackerel recipes. If I haven't made the whole dish, I have at least made a component or two and found it wonderful enough to be on this page. Mackerel is definately one of the most under-used ingredients that we have in abundance off our shores.

Mackerel Pate/Rillettes with wasabi and lime

This is a recipe of my own. Very simple, but delicious and smooth thanks to the creme fraiche. It is common to use horse radish, but I went with a Japanese influence using wasabi instead, much to the same effect. I tried this with thin toasted bread, but I didn't think it worked. So, I recommend keeping with the oriental theme and using some other oriental crisp item to provide crunch. I also had it as just a salad with a honey vinaigrette which worked rather nicely. I think the sweetness of the honey really balanced the whole thing.

Ingredients

Smoked Mackerel
2tbsp Creme Fraiche
2-3tsp Wasabi
Juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper

To Serve
spring onions
Cucumber
Baby Gem Lettuce
(experiment with crisp items such as toast and crackers)


 Raymond Blanc

Grilled mackerel with soy lime dressing

Ingredients

For the mackerel

• 250ml cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 250ml water
• 5-6 pieces coriander stalks, washed
• 40g caster sugar
• 35g red onion, finely sliced
• ½ tsp whole pink peppercorns
• 3-4 lemon slices
• 2 whole mackerel, filleted, pin bones removed
• 1 tbsp oil

For the soy and lime dressing

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 lime, juice only
• 1 tsp fresh root ginger, peeled, finely diced
• ½ tsp dark muscovado sugar

For the fennel salad

• 1 tsp fennel seeds, soaked in water for 2 hours, drained and toasted in a dry pan
• 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced on a mandoline, slices soaked in ice-cold water for 20 minutes, drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ lime, juice only
• 1 bunch rocket leaves
• 2 pinches sea salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Preparation method

1. For the mackerel, heat the cider vinegar, water, coriander stalks, caster sugar, red onion, peppercorns and lemon slices in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Heat the mixture until just warm (about 60C), then remove from the heat. Transfer the contents of the pan to a flat, shallow container and set aside to cool.
   
2. When the mixture has cooled, place the mackerel fillets into the container, flesh-side down. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.
   
3. For the soy and lime dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small pan and gently heat through until the sugar has dissolved. Set to one side.
   
4. Preheat the grill to its highest setting.
   
5. When the mackerel fillets have marinated, remove them from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper. Make several diagonal scores in the skin, going across the length of each fillet to stop them from curling up during cooking.
   
6. Brush a baking tray all over with oil. Arrange the mackerel fillets onto the greased tray, skin-sides facing upwards. Place under the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the flesh is cooked through.
   
7. For the salad, combined. all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
   
8. To serve, divide the fennel salad equally among four serving plates. Place a grilled mackerel fillet on top of each portion. Spoon the salad dressing around the edge of the plate. Scatter over the remaining toasted fennel seeds.
   

Philip Howard

Cornish mackerel with oysters, mussels, winkles & samphire

Ingredients

• 3 x 300g mackerel

For the smoked mackerel pâté

• 50g smoking chips
• 1 x 300g mackerel (from above)
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• salt, to season
• 2 native oysters, opened
• 1 tsp lemon olive oil
• 2g grated fresh horseradish
• 1 tsp superfine capers
• pinch celery salt
• squeeze lemon juice
• 40g crème fraiche

For the muffins

• 115ml milk
• ½ tsp sugar
• 25g unsalted butter
• 10g fresh yeast
• 225g strong flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 50g cornmeal

For the tartare of mackerel

• fillets of 1 x 300g mackerel (from above), skinned, cut into 5mm/ ½in dice
• 5cm/2in piece cucumber, peeled and deseeded, cut into 5mm/½in dice
• few pinches salt
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• pinch sugar
• 1 tsp superfine capers
• ¼ bunch chives, finely chopped

For the oyster mayonnaise

• 2 rock oysters, opened
• 1 free-range egg, yolk only
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• squeeze lemon juice
• 1 ice cube
• 100ml grapeseed oil

For the potato salad

• 4 new potatoes
• 1 free-range egg, yolk only
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• squeeze lemon juice
• pinch salt
• pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 100ml grapeseed oil
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced

Beer batter for the mussels

• 225g plain flour
• 330ml lager
• pinch sugar
• pinch salt
• 20g yeast

For the mussels and winkles

• 12 mussels
• 20 winkles
• 300ml vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 tsp lemon olive oil

For the velouté

• ½ white onion, sliced
• ½ leek, sliced
• 1 celery stick, sliced
• 30g butter
• salt, to season
• smoked mackerel bones (from above)
• 300ml milk
• 50g potato, finely sliced

For the samphire

• 40g samphire

For the grilled mackerel

• fillets of 1 x 300g mackerel (from above)
• salt, to season
• grapeseed oil, to coat mackerel fillet

To serve

• drizzle lemon olive oil

Preparation method

1. First prepare the mackerel. Fillet two of the mackerel. Trim one set of fillets for the grilled mackerel, and set aside in the fridge until needed. Skin the other set of fillets and cut into 5mm/ ½ in dice for the tartare. Set aside in the fridge until needed. Reserve the bones from the two mackerel, to smoke. Leave the third mackerel whole, ready to be smoked.
2. For the smoked mackerel pâté, set up a stove top smoker with smoking chips of your choice and place over a medium heat. (CAUTION: smoking generates a lot of smoke. Cook in a well-ventilated area, and open the smoker outside if possible.) Score the whole mackerel, rub it with the grapeseed oil and season generously with salt. Once the smoker is smoking, place the mackerel inside along with the bones from the two filleted mackerel. Smoke for 10 minutes, turn the mackerel and continue to smoke for a further 10 minutes or when gently prised, the flesh lifts away from the bones.
   
3. Add the two native oysters to the smoker for two minutes.
   
4. Remove the mackerel, oysters and bones from the smoker. Place the smoked oysters in a bowl with the lemon olive oil and set aside in the fridge. Set aside the smoked bones for the velouté.
   
5. Rest the smoked mackerel at room temperature for five minutes, then carefully lift off the skin, remove the flesh from the bones and place in a bowl. Pick through the mackerel to ensure no small bones remain.
   
6. Add the grated horseradish, capers, celery salt, lemon juice and crème fraiche and gently fold to create a loose and textured pâté. Cover and set aside in the fridge until needed.
   
7. For the muffins, warm the milk, sugar, butter and yeast in a pan to roughly body temperature (37C). Put the flour and salt in a bowl, then pour in the warmed milk mixture. Mix the ingredients together and once it begins to form a dough, knead the mixture to a smooth dough. Set the dough aside in a warm place to prove for an hour.
   
8. After an hour knead the dough a couple of times to knock it back. Lightly dust a work surface with the cornmeal, and with a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1cm/½in thick. Cut out 2 x 4cm/1½in discs. Prove for another 10 minutes. Heat a non-stick pan over a low heat and add the muffins. Gently toast for five minutes each side, until they are golden-brown and cooked through. Set aside covered with a cloth.
   
9. For the tartare, sprinkle the diced cucumber with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, rinse the cucumber thoroughly, squeeze it out, then season with the vinegar and sugar and set aside until needed.
   
10. For the oyster mayonnaise, blend the oysters, egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice and an ice cube in a blender, to a smooth purée. Gradually add the grapeseed oil, drop by drop, while the blender is running, to create a light mayonnaise. Set aside in the fridge.
    
11. To finish the tartare, mix 100g of diced mackerel with 60g of the oyster mayonnaise. Mix in the cucumber, capers, chives and set aside until needed.
    
12. For the potato salad, cook the new potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and set aside to cool, peel the potatoes then cut into a 5mm/½in dice.
    
13. Whisk the egg yolk, mustard and lemon juice briefly. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and while whisking vigorously, drizzle in the grapeseed oil to form a mayonnaise. Mix the diced potato with enough mayonnaise to bind. Add the spring onions.
    
14. For the beer batter, whisk together the flour with 165ml of the lager. Add the sugar, salt and yeast and whisk to a smooth paste. Add the remaining lager, whisk until homogenous and set aside in a warm place.
    
15. For the mussels and winkles, heat a heavy based pan over a medium heat, add a splash of water followed by the mussels and winkles. Cover with a lid and steam for a minute or until the mussels have opened. Drain the shellfish, reserving the liquor. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
    
16. Remove the mussels and winkles from their shells. Trim the tiny hard disc from the winkles’ ‘feet’. Set aside, covered in the liquor.
    
17. For the velouté, gently fry half the onion, half the leek and half the celery with 15g butter and a pinch of salt. Add the smoked mackerel bones reserved from above, cover with the milk and 300ml water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain through a colander, then through a fine sieve, reserving the liquid. Gently fry the remaining onion, leek, celery and all the potato in the remaining butter, with a pinch of salt, until tender. Add the simmered milk, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth, velvety velouté. Set aside until ready to serve.
    
18. For the samphire, blanch the samphire in boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain, and immediately refresh in a bowl of iced water. Drain again, and set aside for serving.
    
19. For the grilled mackerel, just before serving heat a grill to hot. Season the mackerel fillets with salt, and brush lightly with oil. Grill, skin side up, until cooked.
    
20. Just before serving, preheat the vegetable oil for the mussels and winkles to 180C in a deep- sided, heavy based pan, or alternatively use a deep fat fryer (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended). Dip the mussels into the beer batter to lightly coat them and deep fry until golden-brown. Heat a saucepan to a medium heat and add two teaspoons of the reserved mussel/winkle liquor, then add the winkles. Heat them thoroughly before serving, add the lemon olive oil to finish.
    
21. Before serving, gently warm the smoked oysters under the grill, halve the muffin and toast it. Heat the velouté to near boiling.
    
22. To serve, place half a toasted muffin on the side of each serving plate. Place a spoonful of smoked mackerel pâté onto it, and top with a smoked oyster. Spoon some potato salad next to the muffin, add some samphire and top with a fillet of grilled mackerel. Drizzle with the winkles and liquor and top with the deep-fried mussels. Add a spoonful of the mackerel tartare to each plate and place a cup of velouté by the side. Drizzle the velouté with lemon olive oil and serve.