Mackerel is a cheap and tasty fish, and healthy because it’s loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve prepared it as ceviche, in a quiche with sauerkraut, and marinated ‘in saor’. Recently I saw oven-roasted mackerel on two of my favorite blogs: from the Bartolini kitchens and le Ricette di Baccos. And so when I was contemplating the display at the fishmonger’s trying to decide what to have for dinner, I decided to prepare oven-roasted mackerel. Here’s my version…
Ingredients
For 1 serving
1 fresh mackerel, about 400 grams (.9 lb), gutted
2 baby carrots
handful of cherry tomatoes
small handful of black pitted olives (I used taggiasca olives, my favorite)
1 sprig rosemary
1 clove garlic
2 sprigs thyme
lemon wedges
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
1/2 Tbsp minced flat leaf parsley
Preparation
The carrots need to be parboiled. Cut them into 5 cm (2″) lengths and parboil them in water with a bit of salt and a pinch of sugar for 10 minutes. Drain, allow to cool a bit, and rub off the skin.
Put the cherry tomatoes, parboiled carrots, and olives in a baking dish and add some olive oil. Toss to coat the vegetables with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 225ºC/440ºF.
Stuff the cavity of the mackerel with the rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Rub the mackerel with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Arrange the mackerel in the baking dish.
Roast in the oven at 225ºC/440ºF for about 15 minutes or until the mackerel is just cooked. Do not overcook, as even though mackerel is a fatty fish it will become dry otherwise.
Serve the mackerel with the veggies and some lemon wedges, sprinkled with parsley.
Flashback
Two years ago I prepared pappardelle with mushrooms. Pappardelle are Kees’ favorite fresh pasta shape: very wide ribbons. This pasta dish is made with fresh mushrooms and reconstituted porcini mushrooms, using the soaking liquid to make the sauce.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
I would’ve loved to have been a dinner guest to enjoy this beautiful dish! I have to admit I’ve never prepared a whole fish, but you’ve made it look so simple. The list of ingredients are those that I’d reach for too.
Thank you for the inspiration today!
Allison
LikeLike
my kind of dish! lovely Stefan!
LikeLike
Perfect! I was just reading this morning about mackerel – the article suggested Spanish mackerel was milder than other kinds. Do you know where yours came from? Personally, I think as long as the fish is fresh, you can’t go wrong..,.
LikeLike
Although I cook whole fish often, mostly steaming it in the Chinese style I have never baked a mackerel [not even John’s as yet] and this will really go on top of my ‘to do’ pile, since it is the one fish I can actually get!!
LikeLike
Isn’t mackerel a great fish? And so relatively inexpensive, too! Roasting it like this is so easy and the resulting meal is so tasty, that it has become a regular part of my diet. We had better keep quiet about it though. If people catch on, the price is bound to go up. To that end…
Mackerel? Never tried the stuff! 😉
LikeLike
PS … Thanks for the shout out and sorry for the memory lapse. 🙂
LikeLike
ti ringrazio per aver messo il mio blog tra i tuoi preferiti.
Mi piace molto la tua ricetta con lo sgombro; è un insieme di sapori che stanno bene.
LikeLike
i love mackerel!
LikeLike
What gorgeous colors, Stefan. I could eat the entire plate of vegetables. The fish looks beautiful – crispy skin and and surely a succulent meat inside. YUM.
LikeLike
This does look very tasty indeed. I have not cooked mackerel in a long time. I caught enough of them as a lad to feed a few armies. I must redress this situation.
LikeLike
Cook them to 45-50 degrees 🙂
LikeLike