Cook’s notes
Poaching
Poaching temperature is lower than simmering temperature. That means the oil shouldn’t be allowed to reach smoking point. A cooking thermometer would be useful; I had none so I just eyeballed my way through the poaching. It took about 20 minutes to cook the fish at 10 minutes per side. The cooking time will naturally vary depending on the size of the fish.Mackerel
There are several species of mackerel and most of them belong to the family Scombridae. There are some fish that do not belong to that family but are commercially sold as mackerel too. I’ll leave it to you to find real mackerel. Mackerels vary in size. If you’re wondering how many fish you’ll need to feed your family, go by the total weight rather than the number of fish.Prep
It is important to score the fish and and to season it before poaching. Scoring ensures that the olive oil will reach the innermost portion of the flesh. Seasoning will flavor the whole fish evenly. That is the smarter way rather than relying on the sauce alone which is added only after the fish is cooked. Use regular olive oil, not extra virgin which is too bitter. Based on a recipe from the Italian cookbook, The Silver Spoon.Mackerel with lemon butter sauce
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 mackerel (about one kilogram / 2.2 pounds in total weight) scaled and gutted
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil not extra virgin
Lemon butter sauce
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- ½ cup melted butter
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- lemon juice to taste
To serve
- lemon slices
- mint leaves
Instructions
Poach the fish
- Rinse the fish well then pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Score both sides of the fish and rub generously with salt and pepper.
- In a wide shallow pan that can hold all the fish in a single layer, pour in enough olive oil to reach a depth of two inches.
- Heat the oil to 160F to 180F (see notes after the recipe).
- Lay the fish on the oil and cook for ten minutes per side.
Make the lemon butter sauce
- In a small non-reactive pan, heat the white wine vinegar with the garlic very gently over low heat for about a minute. Leave to infuse for a few minutes. Strain.
- Stir together the melted butter and strained white wine vinegar. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
- Season with salt and pepper. Taste. Adjust the amount of lemon juice, salt, pepper or all of them, if needed.
Assemble the dish
- Lay the poached fish on a serving platter or individual plates.
- Drizzle sauce over the enter firsh.
- Arrange the lemon slices on top of the fish.
- Sprinkle with mint leaves.
Fisherman’s soup
