Mackerel rillettes

CJhaughey

I tried a new method of cooking mackerel last night worked that I thought you might want to try seeing as it is mackerel season now.

Take your mackerel fillets and rub with coarse salt, leave for 3 hours and rinse off and dry.
In a large flat dish arrange the fillets on the bottom and cover with olive oil.
I spiced mine with bay leaves, mustard seeds and allspice but this is optional.
Bake at 70 deg for 2 hours.
Enjoy.
The fillets are lovely and moist perfect for sandwiches.

Blub2k4

CJhaughey wrote:

I tried a new method of cooking mackerel last night worked that I thought you might want to try seeing as it is mackerel season now.

Take your mackerel fillets and rub with coarse salt, leave for 3 hours and rinse off and dry.
In a large flat dish arrange the fillets on the bottom and cover with olive oil.
I spiced mine with bay leaves, mustard seeds and allspice but this is optional.
Bake at 70 deg for 2 hours.
Enjoy.
The fillets are lovely and moist perfect for sandwiches.

Nice one, I just popped some in the steamer for 12-13 minutes the other night, whole, just gutted, then took them out to cool, then chilled them overnight and then just seasoned with salt and pepper, they were nice on bread too.

bonkey

Mackerel fillets, for me, should be done one fo two ways:

1) Smoked, and turned into mackerel & whiskey pate.

2) lightly powdered with flour, seasoned with salt & pepper and fried in butter.

I remember as a kid, we used to go fishing from my granda's boat, and option 2 was what we had for tea most evenings we caught any, and often for breakfast the morning after.

When I was back home this summer, had them again this way....within 2 hours of them being caught. As good as ever.

Maybe its a holdover from a fond childhood memory, but I don't enjoy mackerel half as much when its cooked any other way.

CJhaughey

I have eaten them in all the ways described above but I just wanted to try this way, because the resulting product has a texture unlike any of the above methods.
The fillet is almost like it has been smoked texturewise but it has its own flavour.
I just thought it was a really interesting way to cook the fish, a friend did the same with Albacore Tuna and it too was fantastic but remember it has to be salted for 3 hours or so.

Blub2k4

CJhaughey wrote:

I have eaten them in all the ways described above but I just wanted to try this way, because the resulting product has a texture unlike any of the above methods.
The fillet is almost like it has been smoked texturewise but it has its own flavour.
I just thought it was a really interesting way to cook the fish, a friend did the same with Albacore Tuna and it too was fantastic but remember it has to be salted for 3 hours or so.

In your original recipe you say cover with olive oil, do you mean literally cover so that they effectively deep fry or do you just mean sprinkle liberally?
I've a freezer full of them and want to try a few different recipes.

CJhaughey

I mean cover so they are covered in oil, oh and you aren't deep frying them the oil is only at 70 degrees, not 170 deg

The Hill Billy

Would love to try your recipe CJ but the missus hates the smell of mackerel in the house. Smell-wise - I get away with poaching them, then have them with white pepper & vinegar.

CJhaughey

Funnily , they don't smell at all when you cover them in oil and cook at a low temperature, It is not like frying where the fillets are getting hot and fuming, in fact I would go so far as to say there is absolutely no smell at all.

Blub2k4

OK, I just got back from an afternoon in Dun Laoghaire and have a total of 16 salted mackerel fillets in the fridge about an hour now.

Am looking forward to trying something new with them.

I'll let you know what I think CJ and thanks for the recipe.

Blub2k4

OK total disaster due to the fan oven, it doesn't look exactly like I got the 70 degrees I was looking for.
Ended up with dried crunchy mackerel fillets and burned herbs.
The fan oven I dont find good for long and slow cooking.

I'll have an oppurtunity to try it again.

CJhaughey

Does your oven not have a non-fan setting?
Sorry I should have made this clearer, I have a fan oven but I use the normal oven function for this recipe.
Sorry

Blub2k4

No worries, it's not your fault, the dial on the oven should have gone low enough.
The oven doesn't have the capability to switch to non-fan as far as I know. I always have difficulty using the oven for anything that requires accurate temps, it only really works well around the standard 180 cooking temp and even then I have to watch it.