The humble mackerel outshines almighty cod, writes Hugo Arnold
We threw our hooks over the back of the boat, luminous orange lines disappearing into the water. One child had each of the four lines, their eyes fixed intently on the sea. Several false alarms were followed by a harvest of fish as we motored slowly over a shoal, catching a dozen glorious silver, green and black mackerel. Back on the beach, our makeshift grill welcomed the filleted fish, whose skin blistered its way to a crisp finish. Some we doused with soy, others we paired with brown bread and lemon. The children were ecstatic at having caught and cooked their afternoon treat.
Mackerel often gets overlooked in our keenness for what many consider finer fish, such as cod, sea bass or brill. Yet this wild, sleek tiger of a fish is in plentiful supply around our coasts - let's face it: little of the sea bass on sale has ever swum in the open sea - and is superb to eat.
Tradition may dictate coating mackerel in oatmeal - and, with a cup of strong tea, it is hard to beat - but I have been experimenting with more Eastern influences: mackerel cooked with soy and ginger, for example, then tossed with glass noodles and toasted sesame oil; or marinated in miso and soy, then served with slightly sticky plain rice, for eating with chopsticks.
Indian spices also work well with the oily flesh: a coconut curry, well spiked with lime, satisfied a hungry table of walkers last week; a more Moroccan treatment, involving chickpeas, went well with a yogurt dressing on another occasion.
I have a weakness for smoked-mackerel pâté. Spread on thin slices of crisp brown toast and served with a glass of whiskey, it is a delicious start to an evening. But restraint is required: mackerel may be a humble fish, but it is also rich.
All recipes feed four
SAUTEED MACKEREL WITH BLACK BEANS, SPRING ONION AND SOY SAUCE
Black, or soy, beans are similar to kidney beans, which you can substitute; most Asian food stores sell black beans.
bunch of coriander
4 mackerel, filleted
plain flour
1 egg, lightly whisked
olive oil
200g cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp soy sauce
two heaped tbsp sliced spring onion, including the green part
1 lemon, quartered
Separate the coriander leaves from the stems and soak the leaves in ice-cold water. Finely chop the stems. Cut three shallow slashes in the skin of each of the fillets; this helps to stop them curling. Season all over with salt and pepper.
Dip the fillets in the flour, then in the egg and then in the flour again. Shake off any excess and fry in olive oil for two minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove to a heated plate and keep warm.
Add the beans to the frying pan with the coriander stems, soy sauce and the same quantity of water. Heat thoroughly, stir in the spring onions and cook for a further minute; check seasoning. Stir in the coriander leaves, keeping a few for decoration.
Spoon the bean mixture on to four plates, top with the fish and serve with a lemon quarter per person and a drizzle of olive oil.
MACKEREL ESCABECHE
750g mackerel, filleted and skinned
plain flour
olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and trimmed
2 sticks of celery, trimmed
4 spring onions
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 bay leaf
glass white wine
8 peppercorns
2 lemons, zest removed and reserved
bunch of parsley
Cut the fish into three-centimetre chunks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Saute gently in olive oil for barely a minute on each side. Put in a shallow earthenware bowl.
Cut the carrots, celery and spring onions into thin strips. Put them in a saucepan with the garlic, bay leaf, white wine, peppercorns and 125 millilitres of olive oil; bring to the boil.
Add the zest and juice of the lemons and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then pour over the fish.
Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight or for two or three days, which produces a mellow, complex flavour. Remove the peppercorns and bay leaf and serve with a generous sprinkling of parsley and lots of bread.
ROAST SPICE-STUFFED MACKEREL
4 mackerel (cleaned, gutted, deheaded)
2 tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
generous pinch saffron
1 heaped dessertspoon ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
pinch cayenne pepper
4 lemons
vegetable oil
Slice from the open belly to the tail of each fish. Lay it belly side down and press along the backbone from just behind where the head was to the tail. The backbone will gradually be pushed out as you work along the fish. Remove it and any accompanying bones with pliers or tweezers. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees/gas 7.
Combine the ginger, garlic, onion, saffron, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper and the juice from two of the lemons in a liquidiser, adding a little cold water if necessary to get a smooth paste; don't let it get too loose.
Season the inside of the fish, then spread the mixture inside. Put the fish back together and dust with plain flour. Place on a lightly oiled roasting tin and dribble with more oil. Roast for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Serve with rice and a chunky salad of tomatoes and cucumber, dressed with coriander and yogurt. And add half a lemon to each plate: there should be plenty of citrus juices to go with the rice.