Not one of our usual recipes but something we tried and like.
Mackerel is in season from the end of July, is a cheap and tasty oily fish so is “good for you”. We have a few recipes as well as just grilling them this one is different in that it includes vegetables from our garden.
Its very similar to another fish parcel that we use for Salmon, Trout and other whole fish with the key addition of rhubarb. Try it, we’re convinced you’ll like it.
The ingredients in italics are from our garden.
Ingredients (for two)
- Two whole mackerel (deheaded, preferably filleted as it makes eating easier);
- 200g Rhubarb;
- 100g courgettes;
- 4cm Ginger (or equivalent ginger paste);
- 2 cloves Garlic (or equivalent);
- 4tsp soy sauce;
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes;
- 2tsp soft brown sugar;
- 2tbsp cider or wine vinegar.
Mackerel & Rhubarb
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C. Cut two pieces of foil one for each mackerel & oil them. Cut the rhubarb into pieces 7-10cm long then slice them up thinly lengthways. Lay the rhubarb in the middle of the foil and the mackerel on top of that.
Sprinkle the other ingredients evenly over the fish and put some garlic & chilli inside the fish cavity. Then make a neat parcel with the foil. Put the parcels on a baking tray (the rhubarb might create quite a lot of liquid and you don’t want that spilling into the oven) and cook for 20-30 minutes until the fish is cooked through and peels away from the bone (if cooked whole) when tested.
The rhubarb, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar make a delicious liquid slightly sweet/acidic which contrasts well with the oiliness of the mackerel.
We serve it with bean salad, other salad and a bread roll but rice and a vegetable would be just as good.
And there you have it, a cheap, tasty quick meal.