Cooking advice needed

Thanks for the great info.
Did it feel like summer last night or what, pulling in a pair of macks on a warm evening in Kinsale, it's only June 6th. Happy Days :D :D :D

Blackie

for macks I always found that some garlic infused olive oil before cooking is the biz also heard that mustard powder is great with it as well

pollock is going to be completely different to cook as it is not as oily

I would think baking it would be better

I would have fried the mackeral in butter and had it with a salad.

THE only way to cook mac is to bbq it, :shock: non of that fussy stuff :lol: will try it in my smoker but recon the barby cant be beat and it dosnt stink the house out :D

As I sit here with a plate of home cooked scallops flash fried in butter/olive oil, garlic, black pepper and sea-salt I would like to second phanover's suggestion. I will further second that suggestion after the follow-up plate of languistine. :D

As for cooking mackeral, I cook them the way my father used to.

Cut around the fish's head/neck but do not cut the bone or the intestines. Slit the fish down the belly line avoiding the anal vent. Flatten the fish out and pull out the back-bone (and most of the the others) and the guts using the head. Wash to remove scales, cut off unwanted fins and lay the fish on lighty oiled tinfoil. Sprinkle with sea-salt and vinegar and grill on a very hot grill.

An uncle of mine used to do the same except he would lightly rub the fish with ketchup before cooking. Not bad!

Back to the languistines....

Hello all,
Last night I caught a couple of mackerel and Pollock - big enough to skin, fillet and debone and to feed two people. Today I cooked them with fresh veg from the garden. Sounds good so far?
I stir-fried a sliced a sliced courgette in olive oil, added chopped shallots, sliced green french beans, chopped coriander leaves and salt. I then put the fish on top to steam for a few minutes, folded it all together and sprinkled lime-juice on it. I served it with rice. Still sounds good?
The result was crunchy, nutritious and healthy but it tasted like coriander-flavoured straw with fish bits.
There seemed to be something missing.
Any suggestions?
No wise cracks.
Alan.

Mackerel being a strong flavoured fish can take strong flavouring accompaniments, most memorable meal of my life was a Mackerelesque fish dipped whole in a chili dip and BBQed on a banana leaf, dont know why, I wasn't even hungry IIRC but I always remember trying to suck the meat from the head....That being said the only way I cook Macks is grilled fresh fillets flesh side up with oil B.Pepper and salt served with Lemon or Lime wedges....Mrs M likes a green salad and B.Bread with hers.

For the Pollock either in batter (though it is hard to match the chipper) or a Chowder with Potatoes peas onion and cream and a stock made from heads bones skins etc....Dont keep to many Pollock though so I dont do it often but it is worth taking one every now and then just for this

what slowarm said, you end up with fillets like you see in the fish mongers.

For Mackerel,
cook fresh, preferably the same day caught, cut off the tail, and cut all around the body and through the back bone, just behind the head without cutting the guts, when you twist off the head the guts will come with it.
Make 3 diagonal slits in each side of the fish, and grind some pepper and salt over it, and put a tiny knob of butter in each one.
grill on a medium heat for 2-3 mins each side and the meat will just lift off the bones, you will not taste better fish...
for pollack,
fillet, skin and bone the fish, poach in milk with some sliced onion and plenty of ground salt and pepper, when the flesh starts to flake and break up, add in 2-3 generous handfuls of grated white chedder and cook over a low heat till all the cheese has melted, this is called a mornay.
beautiful to eat with fresh green veg, and boiled slightly hard new potatoes.
and when cold you can spread it over toast, and brown it under the grill... fantastic.
Dave

I know this threads gone quiet but heres my
Two cents worth

Mackerel: cut the fillets off, dry in paper towel
mix some cajun seasoning in with a half
cup of corn flour. dip fillets in milk then
flour/cajun mix. Fry in hot oil and serve
with a wedge of lemon or lime.

Pollack: skin and fillet fish. cover in thin layer
of salt for half an hour. give a good
rinse off and dry. cut into chunks.
Place in greased oven dish and cover
in cheese sauce (packet will do)
Then put a layer of bread crumbs and
and crushed up crisps on the top.
cover in grated cheese and bake
for about 25mins.

Never liked pollack til i tried this. Also a great way
to use up bits of fish that have been in the freezer a bit
too long!

for macks

fresh fillets covered in english mustard unnder a grill ,cook until they curl up at the sides and the mustard takes a little colour ...

or
get a pot of sea water bring to the boil place gutted macks in ,give them 5 mins then tip the whole mess out on to a plate ,looks disgusting but pure bliss ,had this on a charter boet once and we all nearly eat the knuckles off ourselves.....but then again hunger is a great sauce

enjoy

iano

Hello,
I got some macks (fishing from a dinghy, thanks Richard!), wanted to try filleting according to Slowarm above, as it seemed the best chance of getting out the little bones without getting the tool box out!

More power to you Slowarm, your method roughly copied by myself produced, without a bother, perfect boneless fillets, easy to eat and ideal for the kids.

(not forgeting if you take the fish off the bone to soon after catching it the fillet will shrink as rigor mortis sets in, leaving it on the bone until after RM prevents the shrinkage)

Blackie

Cover macks over night in soy sauce and grill, completely changes the taste.Another one for macks, a small slice of cheddar cheese just when its almost grilled.
You lot a making me hungry...........

Just reading this thread has made me a hungry man!!

Just one thing though,when you talk of grilling the mack,do you have it wrapped in tinfoil or simply place it on grill pan?

Just reading this thread has made me a hungry man!!

Just one thing though,when you talk of grilling the mack,do you have it wrapped in tinfoil or simply place it on grill pan?

Grill it directly on the grillpan, wrapped in tinfoil is steaming and the heat source is irrelevant once it's wrapped in foil.