Perfectly in tune with a fish-based menu, baked mackerel is one of the most delicious and budget savvy dishes. Try this easy to make mackerel recipe and accompany it with a sour salad made of potatoes, pickles, and onions. The tastes and flavors complete each other in the best way.
You don’t have to be a fish lover to fall for these baked mackerel fillets. In fact, even if you don’t love fish, chances are – you will reconsider your food preferences after trying this simple yet so delicious dish. Regardless if you’re living in a hot climate or you know what winter feels like, there are high chances that you will find mackerel in your closest grocery store. Even if you’re not lucky enough to find fresh fish – frozen mackerel is still going to be extremely tasty if prepared correctly.
I do understand that many may wonder if you can prepare this recipe with another fish (most of them). Yes, you can, however, I need to warn you: there’s barely any other than mackerel which is going be as good. Nonetheless, that’s a matter of your own preference. Some might love salmon, others might love sea bream. Yet, I personally find mackerel a perfect candidate for the role of fast, nutritious, and budget-friendly dishes.
Just follow the instructions on how to prepare and bake the mackerel properly in this recipe and nothing will seem easier and tastier. On top of that, you don’t need too many ingredients, they are easy to find, most probably you have them on your kitchen shelves already.
Why cook mackerel?
Mackerel is a very versatile fish in the kitchen with excellent characteristics, at a very low price. It has an excellent supply of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids and in particular of omega 3. It also contains a good amount of the precious vitamin B12 and vitamin D. One of the serious problems concerning the consumption of fish today is the high level of mercury it contains. However, this problem particularly affects larger fish such as tuna and swordfish. Mackerel, on the other hand, is smaller and generally living on the seabed, thus, it contains much less quantity of mercury that does not represent a problem to the health.
Ingredients for baked Mackerel
Depending on how big is your family is – that’s how much of mackerels you need. Here’s the list you need to prepare for the yummy baked mackerel with spices for 4 persons:
- 2 mackerels (400-600 g each) or 4 mackerel fillets
- 4 lemons sliced
- 2 tablespoons of oil (preferably, extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 bunch of parsley
- Garlic cloves
- Smoked paprika
- Granulated garlic
- Salt and paper to taste
To accompany the fish fillets with a tangy side dish, try this rustic salad. For that you need these ingredients:
- Potatoes
- Pickles
- Spring onion
- Mayonaise
- Ground pepper
How to bake Mackerel fillets?
Start by preheating the oven at 350 degrees. You need well heated for the fish to get beautifully golden and crispy on top. Now process to the fish itself.
Prepare the mackerel, wash it well, scatter it well with paper and salt. Season it with the mixture of spices: smoked paprika, granulated garlic, and olive oil. Place the fillets on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Place the fish fillets with the skin up, it will get golden and will keep all the juices inside.
Slice a lemon and put it under the mackerels fillets. Crush some garlic cloves and also add it to the lemon slices. It is now ready to be baked.
Place the baking tray in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Make sure to check it regularly so it doesn’t dry out too much. As soon as it’s all ready, get your fillets out and let it rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
You may also love the mackerel cooked on a grill. At least, our family really loves such late summer nights at a campfire with tasty fish and potatoes.
The best side dish to accompany mackerel fillets
Mackerel is a fatty fish, therefore, I prefer to have a tangy side dish to balance the tastes. In this case, potatoes, pickles, spring onion, and a tablespoon of mayo made the perfect match for my fillets. It is very easy to make the salad, the longest part of it is waiting for the potatoes to get boiled. However, you can boil the potatoes in advance so it will only take a few minutes until you chop the ingredients.
Hence, here is how you do it. Have the potatoes boiled, then let it cool and then chop it in small cubes. Chop the pickles of the same size as the potatoes. Now do the same thing with the spring onion. Season with a bit of salt and pepper then add one tablespoon or 2 of mayonnaise. Mix well and serve. Simple yet incredibly fit for the mackerel fillets or any other fish. How to serve mackerel fillets?
Serve the fillets as they are, make sure you take out the little bones before eating. Accompany the fish with a few tablespoons of the potatoes-pickles salad to add freshness and to find the balance of tastes and aromas.
Baked Mackerel Fillets with Spices Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 mackerels
- 4 slices lemon
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
Potatoes and Pickles Salad
- 4 medium potatoes
- 6 medium pickles
- 1 handful spring onion
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
Instructions
How to cook mackerel fillets
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees
- Prepare the mackerel, wash it well, scatter it well with paper and salt. Season it with the mixture of spices: smoked paprika, granulated garlic, and olive oil
- Place the fillets on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Place the fish fillets with the skin up, it will get golden and will keep all the juices inside
- Slice a lemon and put it under the mackerels fillets. Crush some garlic cloves and also add it to the lemon slices
- Place the baking tray in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes
- Let it rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes
How to make the potatoes-pickles salad
- Have the potatoes boiled, then let it cool and then chop it in small cubes
- Chop the pickles of the same size as the potatoes
- Chop the spring onion
- Season with a bit of salt and pepper then add 2 tbsp of mayonnaise. Mix well and serve
2 comments
The recipe turned out far better than I imagined. The fish was tender and buttery, even though no butter was used. I’ll definitely use this recipe over and over!
We’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe Stacy! Hope to delight you with more dishes:)