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Spanish mackerel


chappie

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The neighborhood seafood market is stocked with beautiful Spanish mackerel right now. I enjoyed Pacific mackerel pan-fried years ago, and believe I've had the Spanish mackerel in sushi.

Does anyone have any recipes or methods to cook it?

They're only $2 a pound, so I want to pounce while they're available.

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As it looks like a family member of our mackerel I would smoke it.

Sea(maldon....whatever)salt the fillets for an hour then, **EDITED** wash off the salt and dry thoroughly, then using hard wood sawdust smoke GENTLY for 20-30 minutes.

This is my mini set up with a Rainbow trout ready for smoking

gallery_52392_4349_55969.jpg

....and here are some mackerel fillets I smoked last september/october within hours for capture.

gallery_52392_4349_33029.jpg

......and I just happen to be smoking some pigeon breasts ATM.

Go on give it a whirl, you know you want to !!!!!

Edited by Henry dV (log)

"It's true I crept the boards in my youth, but I never had it in my blood, and that's what so essential isn't it? The theatrical zeal in the veins. Alas, I have little more than vintage wine and memories." - Montague Withnail.

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The neighborhood seafood market is stocked with beautiful Spanish mackerel...

Which one do you think it is ?

Two or three of the species listed are sawara or sub-types of sawara, in Japanese. Of course, their all being known as 'Spanish Mackerel' in the market suggests they're alike from the consumer's point of view.

Yes, there is such a thing as sawara sushi. I don't remember eating any, but it looks like it (mostly ?) gets the 'shime' (light pickling) treatment, as mackerel does.

Edited by Blether (log)

QUIET!  People are trying to pontificate.

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cure it with a little citrus juice and sliced onions, maybe a bit of star anise or peppers to provide a kick. slice it thin if you like the cooked texture, or keep it whole and slice after curing for a couple of hours if you like the more raw mouthfeel. it makes an amazing ceviche

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My usual methods would be to pan fry or smoke them. They are a soft fish so if you grill them you would need to use a grill basket so they don't tear up or you could do them in foil on the grill. Fresh mackerel is nothing like the fish in a can. They are a fatty fish so they smoke well and won't dry out. The skin is very thin and will just about melt away so there is no need to skin them.

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I catch a good many spanish mackerel in North Carolina and Florida. It is a very good fish for smoking and is terrific simply broiled when it's fresh.

Brush with melted butter, season with salt and pepper and run under a hot boiler until just done. Squeeze of lemon, it's wonderful.

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DTBarton has it right. If you've got good fresh spanish mackerel, just treat it simply as you would a Boston mackerel (they are closely related). Takes well to simple broiling, and baking, too. It also has an affinity with tomatoes -- the acidity helps balance the richness of the meat.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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The neighborhood seafood market is stocked with beautiful Spanish mackerel...

Which one do you think it is ?

Two or three of the species listed are sawara or sub-types of sawara, in Japanese. Of course, their all being known as 'Spanish Mackerel' in the market suggests they're alike from the consumer's point of view.

All I know is they're locally caught in or near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

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