Don’t Ignore Mackerel!

By Andrew Zimmern

In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I’m cooking the often-overlooked mackerel, demonstrating how this flavor-packed fish deserves a spot on every table. First up: a mackerel salad where pickled filets are grilled over hot coals, then paired with charred tomatoes, grilled frisée, and sweet summer peaches. Then, I’m grilling a whole mackerel, seasoned with caramelized onions, and served with rutabaga mash and a vibrant salad of charred grapes, Marcona almonds, and fresh herbs – all finished with a decadent brown butter sauce with crispy capers (get the recipe).

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Grilled Mackerel Salad with Pan Con Tomate

Ingredients

2 mackerel filets (cut from a 2-3 pound fish)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
4 medium vine ripened tomatoes
3 jalapeno peppers, to char and slice
1 clove garlic, grated
12 big basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large head or 2 small ones of frisee
2 ripe peaches, sliced
Toasted slices of crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

For the mackerel:

Clean and trim the filets. Rub with salt and cure for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Rinse well and pat dry. Combine the vinegar and sugar, whisking well. Place in a shallow small pan, add the filets. Soak the filets for 30 minutes or so in the fridge. Drain and pat dry.

Prepare a grill for direct high heat cooking.

Score the skin of the mackerel so that it cooks evenly and doesn’t curl. Brush the skin side with oil, sprinkle the flesh with the thyme leaves. Oil the grill grate. Place the mackerel skin side down over direct heat for only a few minutes. You want the very top of the filet to still be raw. Remove and reserve.

For the salad:

Brush the tomatoes and jalapeños with olive oil. Grill over high heat until charred all over. Using a blender or immersion wand, puree the tomatoes until smooth. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl, and pour the pureed tomatoes through the strainer, using the bowl to catch the juices. Reserve both the juice and pulp separately. Add the grated garlic to the pulp, season with salt and pepper and a 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside to make the pan con tomate for serving.

Remove the skin and seeds from the charred jalapenos. Puree with the basil with ½ cup olive oil and set aside.

Next, grill the frisee. Massage some olive oil into the head of frisee and season with salt. Grill over medium-high direct heat until charred on the outside, but still cool on the inside. Quarter the frisee head, remove the core and discard. Reserve the rest.

In some low shallow bowls or on a plate, add some tomato liquid to just cover the bottom. Lay some grilled frisee down, leave the mackerel filets whole and place on top of the frisee. Add slices of peaches to each plate, along with spoonfuls of the jalapeno-basil oil.