Mackerel is a valuable fish species that should be included in the daily diet for the whole family. This fish has its own characteristics: aroma and taste, which are sometimes repulsive. But there are little tricks to love mackerel - to cook fish with a sauce that will reveal its taste and add pleasant notes to the aroma, enhancing the beneficial properties of the dish.
Mackerel is served on the table, subject to various heat treatments. It is fried, stewed, baked, boiled.
The most popular fish sauce is tomato sauce. The sauce is prepared both from tomato paste and from fresh or canned tomatoes. It can be cooked both in fish broth and in water with the addition of roots and vegetables.
Classic tomato sauce
- 1, 5-2 cups fish broth or water;
- 1-1, 5 tbsp wheat flour;
- 20 g butter;
- 1, 5 tablespoons of tomato paste;
- 1 medium onion;
- ¼ parsley and celery root;
- ½ medium carrots;
- 1 tbsp lemon juice;
- 1 tsp Sahara;
- ground black pepper on the tip of a knife;
- 2-3 pcs. bay leaf;
- salt to taste;
- 1, 5-2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying.
Sauce preparation:
- Lightly fry the flour in a dry frying pan. Dilute with hot fish broth or water until smooth.
- Chop the onion and roots of parsley, carrots, celery. Then simmer them slightly with the addition of oil in a pan.
- Add tomato paste to the vegetables and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Pour fish broth or water into the pan and simmer for another 20 minutes. At the end of cooking, add salt, sugar, pepper, lemon juice.
- Strain the sauce, rub the roots through a sieve or use a blender. Boil. To prevent a film from forming on the surface of the sauce, put a piece of butter on top.
The sauce is served with ready-made fish. From the main tomato sauce, sauces are prepared with the addition of mushrooms, vegetables, wine, egg yolks, cream, etc.
Creamy sauce for mackerel
You will need:
- 2 egg yolks;
- 125 ml of milk;
- 125 ml cream;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
- Mix the yolks in a bowl (choose the dishes for the stove).
- Add milk, cream, salt and pepper to the yolks. Mix everything well.
- Put on the hob over low heat. Heat very gently, stirring constantly, not letting it boil. The mixture should thicken gently.
Serve with ready-made mackerel. If desired, add garlic, basil leaves, laurel, a sprig of rosemary, thyme to the sauce. Too many fragrant herbs should not be used at the same time.
Grilled mackerel with gooseberry sauce
Mackerel is a popular fish in Europe. For example, in the UK, mackerel is prepared and served with gooseberry sauce. The flavor combination of sweet and sour gooseberries and oily mackerel complements each other. The nutritional value of such a dish is high. This is the simplest interesting recipe, especially since the sauce is easy to prepare, and there are gooseberries in every garden.
You will need:
- 2 medium-sized fresh mackerel, peeled and gutted;
- 100 g of gooseberries;
- 50 g butter or olive oil;
- 1 tbsp sugar;
- 1 tbsp water;
- salt, black pepper to taste for fish.
Cooking time is 30-35 minutes. Exit - 2 servings.
Cooking mackerel and sauce:
- Cut the mackerel into pieces, if thick, along the black stripes on the skin. This will cook the fish faster and smoother on the grill. Season the mackerel with pepper and salt.
- Bake the mackerel on the grill for 5-7 minutes.
- Sort the gooseberries, cut off the tails, transfer to a bowl.
- Add water and sugar to the berries. Bring the gooseberries to a boil over low heat and simmer until the berries soften.
- Add salt and pepper to the finished sauce to taste and let it brew.
Serve the fish with warm gooseberry sauce.
Mackerel with hot chili sauce and celery
Cooking time 30 minutes. Exit - 2 servings.
You will need:
- 2 medium sized mackerels;
- 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds;
- 1 red onion onion;
- 1-2 tsp chili sauce;
- 1 tsp dried oregano seasoning;
- 1 tsp garam masala seasoning;
- 2 sticks of stalked celery;
- 300-350 g of canned tomatoes;
- fresh parsley;
- salt to taste.
Preparation:
- Cut the mackerel into small pieces, season with salt and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown in a pan over medium heat with the addition of 1 tbsp. l of oil.
- Prepare the sauce in another pan. Heat the remaining oil and fry the mustard seeds and chopped red onion. Then add oregano seasoning, garam masala seasoning, chili paste and salt there.
- Add chopped stalked celery and canned tomatoes. Mix with the sauce and continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes until the excess moisture from the tomatoes evaporates.
- Put the fried pieces of mackerel in the prepared sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Arrange the pieces of fish in portioned plates and pour over the sauce, garnish with parsley.
Smoked mackerel with vegetable sauce and basil
Ingredients:
- 1-2 smoked mackerel;
- 2 medium sized sweet peppers;
- 2-3 medium-sized fresh tomatoes;
- 1 head of onion;
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil;
- salt, curry pepper to taste;
- fresh basil.
Preparation:
- Peel the mackerel from skin and bones, divide into large pieces.
- Chop tomatoes and peppers with a knife or in a blender.
- Fry the diced onion in a skillet in oil.
- Add chopped tomatoes and peppers to the onions and simmer vegetables for the sauce over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Put pieces of smoked mackerel in the sauce and cook for another 3 minutes.
Decorate the finished dish with basil leaves.
Tartar sauce for mackerel
Tartar sauce is a thick white sauce that is served chilled with fish and seafood. Its classic recipe is based on olive oil, hard-boiled egg yolk and green onion feathers.
Cooking tartare is similar to making mayonnaise: yolks are ground, seasoned with salt, black pepper, lemon juice or wine vinegar. Olive oil is added to the mixture in small drops. All ingredients are mixed until smooth. At the end, chopped green onions are added to the resulting emulsion.
The recipe for tartare sauce was invented by the French. There are many legends associated with the name "tartar". One of them is the campaigns of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples to the territory of Europe, from where their culinary tricks were borrowed. One thing is certain - the Tatar people have something to do with the name.
In different cuisines of the world, various additional ingredients can be found in the composition of tartar sauce. So, in the UK, capers, gherkins, parsley, lemon juice, green onions are added to it. In the USA, you can see onions and olives in the sauce.
It takes very little time to make the sauce. It will take 10-15 minutes if using mayonnaise from the store. Experienced cooks prefer to prepare their own homemade mayonnaise, however, this increases the preparation time of the sauce.
You can prepare the sauce in a food processor or use a blender.
Ingredients for Traditional Tartar Sauce:
- 150-200 g of mayonnaise;
- 1 hard boiled egg
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 pickled / pickled cucumbers;
- 1 tbsp capers;
- 1 tbsp lemon juice;
- 1 tsp green onions, parsley;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Cooking step by step:
Step 1. In a bowl, combine chopped cucumbers, onions, capers, mayonnaise, lemon juice, egg. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2. Mix with a blender to the desired consistency.
Step 3. Cover the finished sauce with cling film and refrigerate for one hour.
Serve chilled directly on toasted, baked, steamed mackerel or separately in a cup.
Garlic, dill and basil are added to the tartar sauce if desired. Transfer the prepared sauce to a jar with a tight lid and store in the refrigerator for one week.
