Comments on: The Simple Beauty of the Mackerel

By: Mag

Mag — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:11:01 +0000

Mark, thanks for great mackerel dish pics. I have served it over baked, cubed potatoes with some curry and fresh jalapeno sasoning and mixed with spinach.
BTW – the best mackerel for me is the smoked one – no fresh one can compare to it..:)
Hugs from Spain, Magdalena

By: pjnoir

pjnoir — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:03:00 +0000

Then WHY bother??? Fish should taste like Fish. Jersey Shore Bluefish is one of the best fish to cook and enjoy its ACCURATE rich fish taste. Light flovered fish like flounder, Halibut or Cod is fine but they don’t pack the health punch like the oil rich fish do.

By: Trinkwasser

Trinkwasser — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:17:59 +0000

Agreed, mackerel is yummy BUT needs to be really fresh. There’s a classic description of what happens when it isn’t by Richard Brautigan, quoted here

http://www.bigbrassblog.com/index.php?itemid=1889

Failing that, peppered mackerel or canned mackerel is acceptable if eaten quickly.

As you say it’s difficult to find things to go with it, my favourites are toasted almonds, watercress and spinach. Or more mackerel. Definitely not the rice I used to use.

By: CrossFit Puget Sound » Rest Day

CrossFit Puget Sound » Rest Day — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:14:50 +0000

[...] The Simple Beauty of the Mackerel [...]

By: Mainer

Mainer — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:35:07 +0000

Wow, I’m interested. I used to catch mackerel when I was young and we would “try” and eat them or toss them to Andre the Seal when he was cruising Rockport Harbor. Always a bit too oily for me, although I love any other fish, especially raw. This has awaken my interest to dust off my rod and hit the breakwater to catch a few this summer. I would love to prepare sashimi but am not sure of a proper brine recipe to marinate it in, anyone help?

By: joe

joe — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:00:50 +0000

The fish browns better with butter.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:27:38 +0000

I grew up eating fish a lot. I recently bought a deep pot, a small wire rack and a stainless steel dish. I put some water in the bottom of the pot, the fish in the dish and then on the rack. I steam the fish (about 10 min. per inch) and it’s always perfect, never overdone. Then I drain the water from the fish dish. The key to getting rid of the “fishy” taste/smell is to put a few slices of ginger in with the fish as it steams. Then in a separate small pot, I add soy sauce (there is also a brand of soy sauce especially for fish that works very well), water, a bit of olive oil and a touch of sugar and bring it to a boil. Pour that over the fish and it’s perfect.

Personally, I think every fish tastes good when done like that or grilled with oil like Mark’s recipe!

I’m also glad that the levels of mercury are low.

By: Anne Siri

Anne Siri — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:19:41 +0000

I got really inspired by this post, so I bought a fresh mackerel on my way home from work yesterday. Since I had all the ingredients for spinach bread, I made that as a side dish, even though I think other options mentioned here may work better.

Anyway, the mackerel was great and I have left-overs for lunch today. Mmmm..

By: John

John — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:55:16 +0000

Interesting table whitecap. Looks like eel is around the same average content as mackerel. Love the stuff and cant get enough of it.

By: comley

comley — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:58:51 +0000

LOve canned Mackerel straight from the can and I sometimes cook it as well.

I have never cooked fresh mackerel mainly because I don’t trust ‘fresh’ fish from a supermarket or fishmonger.

Perhaps I will now try it because your receipe seems to be worth the effort.

Noel Victor Comley