Mackerel can be found in most oceans and seas. It is not farmed, so make sure your catch has been caught responsibly.

When buying your supply of mackerel, count on one fish per person. Look for the clear, shiny eyes as a sign of freshness. Of course, you could ask your fish monger for fillets to begin with, but there is something nice about filleting your own. You can use the technique used to clean sardines; it will get a little messy but you will end up with one big fillet instead of two.

 

The sardine technique works as follows: clean out the innards of the mackerel, then place it on a cutting board with the cavity open and the flanks of the fish spread. Now gently push on the back of the fish. You will feel the backbone move and come undone. Do this over the whole length of the fish, turn it around and remove the bones. You will end up with fillets as shown below.

You can serve the fired fish with any side dish; I happen to like grilled cauliflower.

Remove the green leaves, and place in a steaming pan with some water. Steam for about ten minutes. Remove from the pan, cut in slices about 2 centimeters thick (0.8 inch). Allow for the water and steam to evaporate; brush with some olive oil, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and some smoked paprika. Grill in a skillet until you see these nice char lines. Put to the side.

Frying the mackerel is easy. Slightly dust with some flour, season with pepper and salt, and fry in olive oil. As the fillets will be quite thin, they will be done in just a minute or two. Enjoy!

Other Recipes with Mackerel

Other preparations with mackerel you could try are:

• Mackerel ceviche
• Smoked mackerel burgers
• Spicy mackerel, Indonesian style.