Mackerel

[Yealm]

Sorry- a thick post..

I’d like to catch/cook mackerel after an amazing evening aboard a friend’s boat last year.

I’m a bit squaemish- never done this before - what’s the best way to kill the fish and then what ? - do you have to bleed it ? Or just slit down the belly and hoik out the guts? And then stick under the grill for 20 mins?

Thanks

 

[harry potter]

After the little bugger has achieved 3 plus knots to catch your bait how could you have the heart to kill him?

 

[[70521]]

We put a finger in each gill and pull the head up and back snapping the spine. Then pull head forward and guts usually come out.

Fillet it and fry with a little oil and lemon.

 

[Minchsailor]

We put a finger in each gill and pull the head up and back snapping the spine. Then pull head forward and guts usually come out.

Fillet it and fry with a little oil and lemon.

+1.

An addition - I slit open the belly and wash out the innards in a bucket of seawater. Process can be quite messy with blood, so do it in the cockpit.

Add a few herbs to the pan.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

After the little bugger has achieved 3 plus knots to catch your bait how could you have the heart to kill him?

Mackerel doing 3 knots? must be asleep.

Last season I leant the trick of thumb down its gob and break the neck, way much quicker that a visit from the priest. I like the idea from Sandy of puling the guts out with the head, gonna havta try that one, 50 fish to gut is not that much fun.

Mackerel can be eaten raw, so, kill it, gut it, slice strips off and dip some vinegar on it, or lemon. BBQ and grill/ shallow fry with dillis good, but a bit normal. Try covering with seasoned flour before shallow fry fo a crispy change. Can it too, even with some flavours in the jar. Mackerel with hoisin sauce in flaky pastry parcels..

 

[harry potter]

Or, to impress : http://www.slowburningpassion.com/make-spanish-mackerel-escabeche/

 

[dom]

Mackerel can be eaten raw, so, kill it, gut it, slice strips off and dip some vinegar on it, or lemon.

Not so sure about that - I seem to recall that Japanese sushi restaurants insist that mackerel is first frozen well down before using for sushi or sashimi. Something to do with worms in that type of fish I think.

Some chefs disagree, but as far as I know freezing such fish before eating is now mandated by European Law.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

If you don't fancy the snapping of the spine trick which is very effective a sharp pointy knife in the head kills instantly although there is some blood. Then remove a fillet from each side, place in a dish with thinly sliced onion and lemon drizzle with a little olive oil and add a generous amount of dry white plonk cover with foil place in a moderate to high heat oven for about 20 minutes, take off the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or so then serve with crust fresh bread. Whilst all that is happening take a couple of reserved fillets fry quickly in a little butter, place between two slices of aforementioned crusty fresh bread, buttered if you wish and tell the crew theirs is coming shortly.:encouragement:

 

[oldharry]

Go with the above mostly except eating it raw! What nobody has said is that the fish needs to be in the pan within a couple of hours to get the real taste. You will never want to eat shop Mackerel again!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Go with the above mostly except eating it raw! What nobody has said is that the fish needs to be in the pan within a couple of hours to get the real taste. You will never want to eat shop Mackerel again!

Very true I still remember the first time and it was long ago that I tasted truly fresh Mackerel, I will not now eat it unless I have seen it pulled out of the sea.

 

[Shearmyste]

A great addition to the boat is The river cottage fish book, covers most of what you would need, and don't forget if you fillet the fish stick thre left over bits into the lobster pot, you never know what you can get this our catch from the pot in Sept, Lobster – 30 (8 returned)
Wrasse – 7
Brown Crab – 4 (3 returned)
Spider Crab – 3 (2 returned)
Pollock – 1
Haddock – 2

 

[Poignard]

I was told a good way to eat it is to roll the cleaned fish in oatmeal and fry it.

 

[TQA]

A spritz of alcohol in the mouth or gills is an instant kill. I use the local strong rum.

Putting your finger in the mouth and breaking the neck is a fine idea on 2 lb mackerel but I would like to see it tried on a 50 lb wahoo or tuna.

 

[BabaYaga]

If you don't fancy the snapping of the spine trick which is very effective a sharp pointy knife in the head kills instantly

A thin, sharp knife inserted just forward of the gills will easily cut through the spine. Instant death.
That is all I do while fishing.
Afterwards, slit belly open and take out guts. If possible, leave the head on as a handle for cutting out the fillets.
Trim fillets from various fins with a pair of scissors.
Then, for example this on the charcoal grill:
Prepare a a thick flowing marinade from some olive oil, grated lime peel, lime juice, french mustard, a chopped garlic clove or two, chopped parsley, some dried rosemary, salt and pepper.
Put the fillets skin side down on the hot grate and spread the 'marinade' on the meat side.
Ready in 2-3 minutes.

 

[johnalison]

On the occasions we have caught mackerel I haven't wanted to wield a sharp knife in the cockpit while under way. My caveman solution has been to whack it on the head with a heavy winch handle. Not elegant, but instant if done with conviction. It helps to use a cloth to grip the fish with. Delicious if eaten straight away, but an hour or two is fine too.

 

[NormanS]

I was taught that for cleaning mackerel, it was better to cut along the back of the fish, tight up against the backbone. Doing it that way means that it opens up flat, and is easier to fry. I've always continued to do it that way.

 

[LadyInBed]

I pull the head up and back to snap the spine. Then stick a sharp pointed knife up its bum and run it forward to the gills, then cut gill to gill across the back of the neck to gut it.

 

[moomba]

A spritz of alcohol in the mouth or gills is an instant kill. I use the local strong rum.

Putting your finger in the mouth and breaking the neck is a fine idea on 2 lb mackerel but I would like to see it tried on a 50 lb wahoo or tuna.

+1 a thimble or small syringe of cheap vodka into the gills will kill the fish instantly and it will die Happy

 

[Spyro]

Mackerel doing 3 knots? must be asleep.

Last season I leant the trick of thumb down its gob and break the neck, way much quicker that a visit from the priest. I like the idea from Sandy of puling the guts out with the head, gonna havta try that one, 50 fish to gut is not that much fun.

Mackerel can be eaten raw, so, kill it, gut it, slice strips off and dip some vinegar on it, or lemon. BBQ and grill/ shallow fry with dillis good, but a bit normal. Try covering with seasoned flour before shallow fry fo a crispy change. Can it too, even with some flavours in the jar. Mackerel with hoisin sauce in flaky pastry parcels..

Each to their own. Never fancied sushi. Raw fish, cold rice wrapped in seaweed? Doesn't sound so trendy when you saw it like that. Watched a prog once about someone getting worms from raw fish. Why risk it, it's so much nicer cooked. http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/tan/x5951e/x5951e01.htm Worms in mackerel are not unknown.

 

[moomba]

Each to their own. Never fancied sushi. Raw fish, cold rice wrapped in seaweed? Doesn't sound so trendy when you saw it like that. Watched a prog once about someone getting worms from raw fish. Why risk it, it's so much nicer cooked. http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/tan/x5951e/x5951e01.htm Worms in mackerel are not unknown.

This be true As a Undergrad at Glasgow University doing Marine Bilogy , Organic Chem, I dissected mackerel just been caught of the Scottish coast to and I sh**t you not , to count the worm parasites per fish and they were saturated with them, now these are normally on the or in the intestines and liver and other organs and not in the flesh , but it is something to be aware of when eating any raw fish :encouragement: