When we’ve been eating out more than usual, cravings for plain simple food, preferably home-cooked, take over. That happened last weekend and it was fish we wanted. And so it was off to our local fishmonger in the morning to see what was available and good. I’d originally wanted bream but when I saw the mackerel, I knew what I wanted to do with it. Two mackerel please, filleted.
At home, I set some rice cooking and started making a chayote and carrot salad with a Thai-inspired dressing. I then mixed together the ingredients for a glaze for the fish, which I fried very simply with just a little salt. The glaze was then simmered together until it thickened. By this time, the rice was cooked so in our bowls went rice, a fried fish fillet on top, some of the salad next to it, and the glaze served in a small bowl alongside.
This was just what we needed – simple food and as a bonus, it’s all put together very quickly. And what a great combination it was too – the ginger in the glaze went very well with the strong flavours of the mackerel and the mackerel, though cooked so simply, was moist and tender with a very crispy skin. The salad was refreshing and it turns out that chayote is a pretty good substitute for green papaya!
Mackerel Fillets with Soy-Honey Glaze
serves 2.
4 mackerel fillets (from 2 fish)
1 tsp sunflower oil
salt
For the glaze
3 heaping tsps honey
2 tbsps soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp grated ginger
Combine the glaze ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and then add the teaspoonful of oil. Use some kitchen paper to dry the fillets as best possible and then slide them skin side down into the pan (I did two at a time). Cook for 3 minutes without moving them. Sprinkle the tops with some salt and then flip the fillets and continue cooking for another 3 minutes without moving. Plate or set aside.
Pour out any excess oil and wipe down the pan if possible. Place it back over the heat and then pour in the glaze ingredients. Bubble away until reduced by half and then either pour into a bowl for serving or drizzle onto the fish if it’s being served immediately.
Chayote and Carrot Salad
serves 2 as a side.
1 chayote
1 medium carrot
a few sprigs of coriander
For the dressing
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chili-garlic paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp warm water
Peel both the chayote and the carrot. Shred or grate both into a bowl (leave the middle of the chayote – there’s a seed, I think). Stir together the dressing ingredients and add as much as you please to the salad. Chop the coriander roughly, add to the bowl and toss together. Serve.
Mon, 26 Apr, 2010 at 03:35
Sigh, a home-cooked meal after my own heart. Never had chayote, but sounds like a great substitute.
Mon, 26 Apr, 2010 at 06:50
simple sounds like my type of cooking 🙂 this looks great!
Mon, 26 Apr, 2010 at 08:43
Ahhh simplicity at its best! Where can you find chayote?
Mon, 26 Apr, 2010 at 11:00
What a great simple recipe – Mackerel goes so well with asian inspired food, I like to roast or barbecue mackerel whole with a chilli/soy based sauce – delicious
Thanks for this recipe!
Mon, 26 Apr, 2010 at 13:58
I love mackerel, usually grill/bake it with lemon slices but this looks like an excellent way to cook it. Will have to try this out.
Mon, 26 Apr, 2010 at 14:55
Sound delicious. The Asian inspired flavours goes well with strong oily mackerel. I had never heard of chayote until you mentioned it and the Internet came up triumph explaining what it was. How did we live pre Internet?!
Mon, 26 Apr, 2010 at 20:30
love it, Su-Lin- i shall use this glaze on my next roast salmon. x shayma
Tue, 27 Apr, 2010 at 15:22
Marie: Chayote is quite bland and needs a punchy dressing, I find.
kat: It’s hard to spend time in the kitchen when the weather is so lovely as it is now! One day I’ll have a kitchen with a balcony nearby…
Holly: I found mine at a local Middle Eastern shop. I think it’s popular in Carribean cuisine too.
Paul: I wish I had a barbecue – bbqed mackerel sounds amazing!
breadetbutter: I too roast/bake my mackerel but now I don’t feel bad asking my fishmonger to fillet fishes for me! 🙂
Robert: Ooh, I meant to link to the Wiki article for it but I guess everyone knows how to use Google!
shayma: Oooh, hope you like it!
Tue, 27 Apr, 2010 at 20:41
Isn’t mackerel just the best fish – so tasty. I love the glaze, very simple and I love the use of grated ginger – it give it a real clear kick and complements the meaty oil flesh of the fish. Delicious.
Wed, 28 Apr, 2010 at 12:04
I like the sound of the glaze! I want to try it for today.
Thu, 29 Apr, 2010 at 12:34
A very lovely meal. It’s quite a while since I last ate mackerel. This is a good reminder for me. I remember I used to grill it and they were very delicious served hot with spicy sauce.
Sun, 2 May, 2010 at 14:52
Oh that looks good! I haven’t had mackeral in ages!
Mon, 3 May, 2010 at 13:29
Love the look of this recipe! Am a big fan of mackeral – they’re affordable, local, lots of good fish oils, and their place in the middle of the fish food chain means that they’re a great sustainable fish choice!
Need to get more creative with how I eat them (never get past a simple BBQ with just good salt and pepper and lemon juice). Your recipe is a good nudge!
Wed, 5 May, 2010 at 13:06
The Grubworm: I love its meatiness and strong flavour – it’s something I’ve grown to love.
blanket chests: Hope it works out for you!
MaryMoh: Oh, I bet mackerel is lovely with sambal…
Foodycat: Love it and love that it’s so cheap too!
Wen: Oh, I wish I had a bbq! 😀 I’d love to bbq fish!
Sat, 15 May, 2010 at 14:45
That looks delicious! I just bought a mackerel today. I think I’ll do something similar with it 🙂
xox Sarah
Fri, 5 Sep, 2014 at 10:00
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Fri, 24 Jul, 2015 at 05:04
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Fri, 25 Jun, 2021 at 20:01
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