Boiled Lemon Mackerel in Garlic and Olive Oil
Not many of my friends enjoy mackerel. Maybe it’s because it tastes like a tuna and a salmon did the fusion dance, and that bothers people for some weird reason. Still, I don’t see what’s not to like. It’s very underrated. Mackerel has a clean, sweet, fishy, and oily flavor. Although it tastes bold and fish forward,, which is undoubtedly off putting to people who aren’t fish fans to begin with, it’s still one of my favorite types of seafood to cook. I mean, who doesn’t love a healthy fish that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids and is packed with protein and Vitamin D? It’s also sustainable and doesn’t harm the ocean’s ecosystem, so you really can’t go wrong!
It’s best to use simple ingredients with mackerel like olive oil, lemon, and garlic so the flavor of the fish can shine
Be careful when you flip the mackerel over to boil the other side. The fish will break apart if you’re too rough with it
Not the prettiest photo, but a solid reminder that you need to be careful to remove all the bones with this fish because mackerel has some tiny ones!
Gutting the fish aside, all there is to cooking this dish is chopping parsley, slicing garlic, boiling the mackerel, and dressing it in lemon, olive oil, and salt. I like to add black pepper and serve it with a cherry tomato side salad, which I prepare with chopped scallions, olive oil, and salt. I highly recommend making the cherry tomato accompaniment because it tastes bright and compliments the dish very well.
Other than serving the fish with some warm crusty bread, there’s not much else to mention, that is unless you’re drinking wine! My boiled lemon mackerel in garlic and olive oil pairs well with Champagne, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Blanc, dry Rosé, or a Gamay-based wines. It’s the perfect lunch or appetizer at a dinner party and it can be eaten year-round.
Enjoy!
Sometimes simple hits different
Ingredients
3 whole mackerel, gutted and deboned with heads and tails removed
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 cup of lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
Chopped parsley to garnish
A generous amount of salt
Black pepper to taste
(optional) 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
(optional) 2 scallions, sliced lengthwise and chopped
(optional) 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
Instructions
Place the mackerel on a cutting board and cut from the two tiny fins on the neck down to the bottom of the belly
Scoop out the entrails by hand and rinse the inside of the gutted fish with cold water. Make sure to break the membrane near the head
Bring salted water in a deep skillet to a boil
Place the mackerel in the water and cook for around 7 minutes on each side
Gently remove the fish and let them cool for about 5 or so minutes
Chop off the heads of the fish and tails.
Split the mackerel in half at their bellies and de-bone the inside of them, carefully removing the tiny bones that are harder to find by hand
Break the mackerel into three to four-inch pieces on a plate and drizzle them with olive oil and lemon juice. Salt the fish and add black pepper to taste, along with chopped parsley, and serve plain or with cherry tomatoes and chopped scallion or crusty bread
