Fresh Mackerel Filets with Shallots and Garlic
Butcher your own mackerel. Just do it. You can do it.
I live in the landlocked province of Alberta, so fresh whole fish is not always the easiest thing to find. I generally find the best fresh fish at Asian markets like T&T Market in Calgary due to the high demand and frequent appearance in many Chinese dishes. T&T is pretty solid and always offers something new and seasonal to try.
As I required fish bones for the Cod Fish is Brodo Race Leader course of my Portuguese Grand Prix menu, I opted to purchase a whole mackerel and set myself the challenge to filet my first whole fish (At least I think it was the first). Thankfully T&T Market offers complimentary fish cleaning so I didn’t need to worry about removing any guts. Using definitely the wrong kind of knife, I started by removing the head and then running my knife along the back of the fish, and carving out a filet by gliding my knife along the bone line. I believe the trick to good fish butchery is to take long confident cuts to avoid hacking the crap out of your beautiful filets. When all else fails, there is a YouTube video for everything – this is the one I used.
For my first attempt and butchering fish I’m pretty pleased!
Portuguese Mackerel Filets with Shallots
Tangy, garlic bites of mackerel goodness. Best served warm with a glass of Portuguese white wine.
Ingredients
- 1 whole mackerel, filleted
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a saute pan, heat up the oil and add the sliced shallots. Saute for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute longer.
- Season the mackerel filets and add them to the oiled pan with the shallots. Saute for 2 minutes or so per side, flipping once.
- To make the tangy acidic sauce, add the white wine and vinegar to the pan and toss together to emulsify with the oil. Add in the chopped parsley and give everything a quick toss. With a spatula, place the mackerel filets on a small tapas plate and cover with the shallots and wine sauce.
