Mackerel.

Can anyone tell me how to cook mackerel, I used to just de bone it and put it in the oven, after about half an hour it would come out all crispy around the edges, and nice and oily flesh.
When I do that these days I just end up with boiled mackerel, it just sits in water with no fat.
The taste is not great either.
I've tried ones bought at the coast and the outcome is the same.
I dont actually want to add anything, just cant work out why they contain so much water.

 

@pete
I tend to pan fry mine with some herbs. However they grill quite well.
Have you changed the oven since they used to come out as you like them?

 

Yes its a different oven.
I've tried pan frying but its still not the same as they used to be when baked.

Could try grilling I suppose.

 

Head and tail still attached, just gutted and descaled. Belly cavity stuffed with robust herbs like rosemary, sage and/or thyme, ie herbs that stand up to prolonged cooking.

A teaspoon of cooking oil on a sheet of foil, then wrap whole fish in the oiled foil. Make it into a parcel.

Bake on gas 6 for anything from 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the fish and how well done you like it.

When done, simply unroll the foil wrapping, allowing the fish to roll onto the plate. Some of the skin will have stuck to the foil, thus partially skinning the fish for you as you roll it out onto the plate. The flesh will be moist but not mushy, and will just slide off the bones.

Serve with seared carrots and green beans or asparagus, with garlic, lemon and black pepper.

 

Mackies need to be ate within an hour or two of being caught, you need to catch them yourself really. They go off faster than any other fish in the UK, I gut mine as I catch them to ensure they don't spoil. I prefer to cut mine into fillets and use them for bait for far tastier species like Cod, Flounder or Turbot to be honest.

 

fresh caught, gutted and de scaled, season and put in frying pan or bbq eat straight away yummy

 

Most of what I catch on the beach will be filleted (2 fillets per fish) then vacuum packed using a battery vacuum packer, and stacked in my two 40L electric chiller boxes with a couple of layers of 1L frozen chiller blocks on top.

If possible, I'll cook a few there and then whilst they're still really fresh, plus have some whole headed and gutted fish to cook on my return, but despite living as about as far as you can get from the coast, there's other ways of getting the best out of them.

I've not found much difference between using fresh/frozen mackerel for sousing and serving with salads (will then last in fridge for a few days), or using defrosted fillets to cook and make mackerel pate by blitzing after adding cream cheese and herbs.

 

Boil em in seawater for 10 minutes

 

You lot are not helping much.

I catch mine at Morrisons

 

i am sorry i have only cooked Mackerel that i have caught so i cant given any other help

 

Mackerel fish cakes are delicious

 

Buy Pilchards(or Sardines, same fish) much tastier, especially grilled or barbequed

 

@pete

Had a word with my fish advisor (Loli ) and she'm thinking the same thing, the "fresh" Mackerel you been buying might have been previously frozen

 

I'm in no doubt the so called fresh fish bought in morrisons, or any other supermarket has probably been previously frozen.
Most of the stuff says, caught in the NE Atlantic, so I'm guessing it all comes from boats that are out there for a week or more, so probably frozen on the boat.

I've bought Mackerel from the fish mongers down in Dungy, who says they are brought in by the local anglers, but although a much better size, I'm still struggling to get that full oily taste I remember from years ago.

 

Is that because the fish has changed, your taste buds have changed, or, and this is the big one, could you be remembering a past experience as better than it actually was?