We Love Cooking!:
mackerel

I'm pretty much settled back into the land of the living after the last few busy weeks and loving being back in my own kitchen. I'm especially loving the amazing weather Ireland has been having all week, summer is most definitely on the way and I am already thinking of more summer orientated dishes, with really fresh flavours! This is is the recipe for this weeks column in the Cork News, with a really simple recipe to make the best of one of my favourite fish, mackerel!

Simple Mackerel Fillets with Chilli, Garlic and Lemon
I grew up on mackerel! It was and still is one of the easiest fish to catch just off Howth head. I have some of the most amazing childhood memories of sunny mackerel filled summers with my grandad Do on his boat, where my cousins and I would be busy racing to pull in rods with heavy lines, fish on each hook, while my grandad would gut them and fillet them like the pro he was, belly laughing at the fact that we were all to squeemish to take them off the lines ourselves. For me, mackerel dishes always have to be simple with really fresh flavours, and I love this quick and simple lunch which has a great kick of heat thanks to the chilli. People get a bit worried when it comes to cooking fish, but go to the fishmongers and ask them to do all the hard work and you will be left really lovely fillets of fish which are no more complicated to cook than pan frying a chicken breast!

Serves 4
4-6 mackerel fillets
2 red chillies, finely chopped with the seeds removed
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
A good drizzle of olive oil
A good pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper

Place the mackerel fillets on a large plate and drizzle with olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Don't use all the lemon juice here, as it's nice to give the fish an extra squeeze of lemon while it cooks and then at the end to serve.
Sprinkle over the chilli and garlic and gently rub into the fish on both sides, turning to coat in the lemon and olive oil.
Season the fillets with sea salt and black pepper and cook on a hot, non stick griddle pan, over a high heat, for 2-3 minutes either side, depending on their size or until they are cooked through. Halfway through the cooking time, give them another splash of lemon juice.
Serve the mackerel fillets with a spicy tomato salsa or a fresh side salad for a really light and healthy lunch!

Mackerel is one of those types of food that, in my life, I have always just taken for granted, like pasta or potatoes. We have been catching them just off Howth head since I was a kid, and they have always been there reminding us that summer has started. With the first catch, comes that familiar fresh taste, lost in the months of winter, and savoured with every bite, but which regrettably soon becomes the norm and less of a novelty for lazy summer evening meals.

With the last days of this years summer well and truly behind us, and mackerel season coming to a close, last weekend we cooked up the final humongous pile of mackerel which were all individually, neatly wrapped in tinfoil and thrown in the freezer, upon their arrival from boat to land. The fish tasted almost as good as fresh and only needed the simple additional flavouring from a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of smoked sea salt and ground black pepper.

BBQ Mackerel with lemon and Smoked Sea Salt

There are so many things that you can do with fish on a barbecue, but sometimes its nice to keep things simple, a few herbs, maybe some garlic butter or just plain lemon and salt will bring the natural flavours alive. If you are freezing mackerel, freeze the same day you get it, make sure to use within 3 months, and defrost in the fridge. You may notice a change in the texture of the fish but it shouldn't be too significant.

1-2 gutted mackerel per person, depending on size
A drizzle of olive oil
2 lemons
A good pinch of smoked sea salt
A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Tin foil to cover the mackerel

Wrap the mackerel individually in tinfoil, and place on a hot barbecue.
Cook for 4-5 minutes either side, it's a bit of a guessing game but open the tinfoil to check if the fish is cooked through.
Take the wrapped fish off the barbecue and remove the tinfoil.
Place the fish on a large serving dish and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Generously squeeze lemon juice over the fish, and season with smoked sea salt and black pepper.
Serve straight away!