Grilled mackerel fillets with garlic roasted green beans, salad and new potatoes.
Omega-3 fatty acids are called ‘essential’ for a reason – they’re necessary for normal metabolism and development, but the body isn’t able to create them, so they have to be obtained from diet or supplements. They help brain function (just in time for exams, excellent news) and reduce the risk of cancer, arthritis and heart disease – the American Heart Association recommends eating oily fish at least twice a week.
But some natural sources of omega-3 – salmon, trout, fresh tuna – come with a not-so-student-friendly price tag. Enter stage left: the humble mackerel. Nutritionally speaking, the mackerel is packed with all the right stuff – omega-3, healthy unsaturated fats, vitamin B12 (which is essential for normal functioning in brain activity, the nervous system and the creation of blood – pretty important, then). Moreover, it’s cheap! A single fish, gutted and filleted at the Foss Island Morrisons fish counter will cost you around £1 (depending on weight – mine was 99p), and will provide you with two slender fillets, perfect for a single portion.
For this recipe, I’ve paired the mackerel with simple sides of roasted new potatoes, green beans and a handful of green salad. This meal is light, tasty, cheap to prepare and full of goodness. Incidentally, it’s also well easy…
Ingredients (serves 1):
2 mackerel fillets
Green beans
New potatoes (Jersey Royals used here)
Salad
Olive oil
Salt, Pepper
Lemon
1. Dice the new potatoes into small chunks and par-boil for five to seven minutes.
2. While they’re boiling away, top and tail your green beans, finely chop a clove of garlic and sprinkle it over the beans with a dash of olive oil on a baking tray. When the potatoes soften, drain and spread them out on the baking tray too, with another splash of oil. Roast for ten minutes until the potatoes are golden and the beans are tender and starting to crisp up.
3. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the skin-side of the mackerel fillets, being careful not to cut right through the flesh. These slits will help the seasoning flavour the fish, and prevent it from curling up while it cooks. Season with salt, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mackerel is quite a delicate flavour, and doesn’t need much adding to it, but you could experiment with different seasoning – soy sauce, pesto or a garlic rub would work well.
4. Remove the potatoes and beans from the oven, and switch it to grill (this recipe is easier if you live in halls and have two ovens!). While the grill’s heating, cover the beans with foil to keep them warm, and transfer the potatoes to a bowl. Finely chop some fresh parsley – we grow a little pot of parsley on our window sill and it’s surprisingly hardy and doesn’t require much watering – you can buy small bunches in most supermarkets. Stir the parsley in with the warm potatoes and cover – this part of the recipe will also work well with fresh mint or coriander if you prefer those flavours.
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5. Place the mackerel under the grill, skin side up, for five minutes, checking regularly to make sure it doesn’t burn. When the skin has turned brown and crispy at the edges, flip the fillets over to cook for another minute. When done, the underside of the fish should no longer look wet, and when you gently press the flesh, there shouldn’t be too much give. (Note: even filleted by a professional, mackerel fillets will still contain small bones – these are much easier to remove when the fish is cooked than when it is raw. Take care when eating!)
6. Plate up! Add the potatoes, green beans and mackerel fillets to the plate, with a handful of green salad (I don’t think a dressing is necessary because of the oily nature of the fish, but if you want one opt for something citrus to cut through those flavours). Finish with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy!
