My hubby caught 9 mackerel last night, most are being smoked by a friend and I will make into a pate and have plain with salad but I wanted an idea for supper tonight. My friend filleted 3 fish and I have 2 whole. I have never used Mackrel before and want to make a meal tonight that suits hubby, my self and 2 children (nearly 2 and nearly 4). My oldest helped to catch one and is keen to try some so obviously I am keen to involve him and make something that we can all enjoy.

Any ideas????????????

I found a Frank Bordini recipe, and kind of adapted it to suit your family:

Serves 4:

8 sheets filo pastry
2 eggs, beaten
4 smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and boned

Brush each sheet of filo with a little beaten egg and fold it in half.

Lay one half fillet of fish on the edge of each rectangle. Fold over the edges and roll up to make a neat long rectangular package.

Brush again with egg and place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until crisp.

You could serve this with new potatoes and green beans or something a bit jazzier if you like. Obviously, you can adjust the amount of fish & pastry that you use, especially if hubby wants more than one piece of fish, but there is a general 'rule': 2 sheets of pastry per piece of fish, and aim to use half a beaten egg per porton, to make it lovely and crispy! Let me know how this works out if you decide to try it!

Thanks that sounds great for my smoked fish, will let you know how I get on

For the fresh keep it simple, either grill or wrap in foil and cook in the oven. Put some butter, parsley, lemon and chopped onion in the cavities, or on top of fillets. Serve with new potatoes, and vegetables or salad, with extra lemon wedges or orange if you prefer.

Mickey, that sounds really nice! I might just try that someday!

Lucy
if the mackrel are fresh, slice both sides of the body and cover with a tandoori paste, then either grill or even better bbq, when done squeeze over a lime and serve with a green salad
good luck
richard roberts
aka dickyref

Thanks everyone for the ideas, hubby is well and truly hooked (pardon the pun!!) so I am sure I will get the chance to try all these ideas. I did have it plain last night just so I could see what it tasted like and I must say I was very plesantly surprised, I know I am lucky enough to have it very fresh but it was yummy and not as strong as I thought it would be.

Got smoked makrele coming today so more experiments!! I chucked a load of mackrel in some mash potato for my children with a little grated cheese which also went down well.

Thanks once again for the ideas, keep them coming as I am sure I will need them!!

Lucy, I made the fajitas for lunch, but I'm not sure if I did them right! The recipe I used is on the roast chicken post! At least everyone liked them, or they were pretending!

Hi Lucy,
I had Fresh Mackrel last week that my brother-in-law cooked, he stuffed it with roughly chopped red onion, peppers,tomato, chilli loads of different herbs S & P garlic and lemon juice and oil. He wrapped it in a double layer of foil then slapped it on a hot BBQ turning it after about 5 mins. It was fantastic, moist, tasty and the filling was a nice accompaniment....so the next time the Barbies on and you have some mackrel to hand...I'd give it a go!! d-e-l-i-s-h!!!

One very simple idea for fresh mackerel is to rub with a mix of harissa paste, olive oil and lemon juice, then grill on the bbq or on the stove in a grill ridged pan. If you're using whole mackerel, cut a few slits down the side to help absorb more flavour. Fillets work well too. Remember not to overcook. Yum.

I sometimes have my smoked mackerel in coucous which has been prepared by covering, in a bowl, the required amount of coucous (to which I add some garam masala) with chicken stock which has a dash of lemon juice in it.
This I leave to stand, covered with cling film for 5 minutes.I then add some chopped roasted vegetables (shallot, peppers, tomato even beetroot)and the smoked mackerel, flaked. Add a dash of olive and toss all together.
I also enjoy this with mussels.