Roasted Mackerel with Lemon and Herbs

Thursday, December 1st, 2011 | posted by mike

Serves 2

1 whole mackerel- 1 1/4-1 1/2 lb. cleaned

1 lemon, sliced thin (save 2 slices cut in half for stuffing)

2 sprigs rosemary

5 sprigs thyme

2 cloves garlic, crushed, cut in thirds

1/2 of a med. onion, sliced

1 t Monahan’s Cajun seasoning (if you don’t live in the area call us for the recipe-it’s a mix of cayenne, paprika and other herbs and spices)

3-4 T olive oil

Pre heat oven to 425º

Oil bottom of baking dish and add 1/2 the lemons, herbs and onions

Stuff belly of fish with lemon and 1/2 the garlic

Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over both sides of fish and place in baking dish

Scatter the rest of the herbs and lemons over and around the fish

Drizzle olive oil over fish and roast for 15-20 min. or until fish is just opaque to the bone at the thickest part of fish

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Even more mackerel?

Thursday, December 1st, 2011 | posted by mike

I’m kind of proud of the fact that Monahan’s is the king of the flavorful fish in these parts. We’ve made many converts of the people that at one time wouldn’t consider any of the darker fleshed, oilier, fuller flavored fish such as bluefish, sardines or the beautiful, versatile, super healthful and delicious Atlantic Mackerel. These gorgeous little fish have had a bad rep through the years as a common, ” fishy” tasting fish that were only eaten by people that couldn’t afford more refined, light fleshed fish like the cods and the soles. For a fish that’s considered a ” bait fish” I’ll take the bait any day!

 This is a fish that has flavor that will stand up to anything that you throw at it; curries, capers, peppers, citrus, all kinds of Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern treatments make the mackerel a lot of fun in the kitchen. We try to prepare a different mackerel dish in our house every week, not just because we love the flavor but because it is one of the healthiest of any food you could eat.

 Chock full of all the good stuff; loads of vitamins, minerals, protein, and the miracle omega-3 fatty acids that thin your blood, clean out your veins and arteries helping to lower cholesterol levels, raise HDL levels, lower LDL levels and help with everything from joint problems, depression, brain and eye function, to mention a few. It seems that new positive effects of omega-3′s pop up all the time. I can tell you from my own experience that after enjoying a nice mackerel meal, I always feel great! You can feel the goodness, a combination of energy, euphoria and contentment. Sounds a little flaky but I’m not kidding!

 Here’s another mackerel recipe for ya. Enjoy!

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Oven Roasted Tomato Magic!

Friday, September 2nd, 2011 | posted by mike

Two weeks ago we were talking about being in the thick of the tomato season and how we’re using them for all kinds of things every day. Well here’s another great use for these late summer gems- oven roasting! Oven roasting just about any vegetable will heighten the flavors, condensing the natural sweetness and tomatoes are no exception. I usually use plum tomatoes because they are generally better for sauce and work well for the sauces we make for fish and shellfish. Roast along with cloves of garlic, sweet and or hot peppers, sliced onion, some thyme sprigs or rosemary, maybe a couple anchovies and just let the flavors explode! Top a pizza, chop and sprinkle over a salad, use for bruschetta, toss over pasta or make an intense sauce (like we’re doing with grilled Spanish mackerel in today’s recipe).

This sauce is loaded with flavor; a little will go a long way. We served it hot with this dish but it’s also great at room temperature. Try it topped on a baked fish or with fish en papillote. The roasted tomatoes can also just be sliced or coarsely chopped and served on the side of the fish. Once you’ve roasted them you can take them as is or make our sauce recipe and it’s off to the Labor Day picnic or tailgate. Bring a small saucepan if you want to heat the sauce on the grill.

The roasted tomatoes or sauce are also great with rich flavorful fish. We’ll have beautiful native swordfish, bluefish and North Atlantic mackerel this weekend along with lots of Spanish mackerel for your grill.

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Grilled Spanish Mackerel with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

Friday, September 2nd, 2011 | posted by mike

This sauce is loaded with flavor; a little will go a long way. Serves 4

For the tomatoes:

  • 2 lb. plum tomatoes cut in 1/2 lengthwise
  • 1 med. onion sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 8 sprigs thyme
  • 1 small jalapeño pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 1 t balsamic vinegar
  • Splash of dry red wine
  • 3 anchovies fillets (optional)

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees

In a mixing bowl toss all ingredients except vinegar and wine with olive oil on an oiled sheet tray or cookie sheet (with sides on it). Arrange ingredients with tomatoes sliced side up

Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper

Roast for 25-30 min. or until tomatoes are caramelizing and browning around the edges

Heat a med. saucepan over med. heat

Coarsely chop everything and add to pan, drizzle in a bit of the oil from the sheet tray and add a splash of wine and the balsamic vinegar

For the fish:

  • 1 1/2 – 2 lb. Spanish mackerel fillet- substitute bluefish, North Atlantic mackerel, or swordfish
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Heat coals until white or over med- high heat on gas grill

Clean and oil grill

Lightly baste fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

Place fillets meat side down, diagonal to grids

Don’t move fillets, let them firm up

After 3 min. flip and grill for another 3 min.

Grill until fish is barely opaque in center (cooking time will vary with thickness of fish, rule of thumb – total time 10 min. per inch of thickness

Serve with sauce in the center of fillet

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More Mackerel Please!

Friday, February 25th, 2011 | posted by mike

Sarah Monahan holding a Spanish MackerelWe’ve been singing praises of the mackerel family for years. Atlantic, Spanish,King and Wahoo are some of our all time favorites. I’m happy to say that more customers at our market have been giving these fuller flavored fish a try, including Michigan Daily reviewer, Lila Kalick, who tried a fillet of Spanish Mackerel with our San Remo butter (sun-dried tomatoes, herbs white wine and Parmesan) for lunch, loved it and wrote a nice little review about our cafe.

Part of our menu includes a section where you can pick a fish straight from the display, choose a sauce or rub, a side and we prepare it for ya. When folks ask for a suggestion, I often push flavorful fish like mackerel because it’s probably something that they haven’t tried. It’s so satisfying to see the happy faces out there just loving that robust and healthful fish. We’d like to have you come in for our Monahan’s Mackerel Challenge…try the mackerel prepared at the market for lunch, and if you don’t love it, you don’t have to pay for it.

Today’s recipe uses Atlantic mackerel but Spanish or King would work well too

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Pan Seared Curried Mackerel

Friday, February 25th, 2011 | posted by wendy

Mackerel is a great fish to cook if you want to use a spicy preparation like curry. This recipe serves 2.

3/4-1 lb. Atlantic Mackerel fillet. Pin bone removed

For the sauce

  • 3 T olive oil
  • 3 scallions thin sliced
  • 1 garlic clove fine chop
  • 1 tomato cubed
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 3 T red curry paste
  • 2 t shiracha sauce or more if you like hot
  • 1 T mango chutney
  • 2  t coriander powder
  • 3 t cumin powder
  • 1/2 cup canned chick peas
  • 1 t turmeric  powder

For the fish

  • 2 T olive oil
  • Drake’s batter mix or seasoned flour
  • Pinch of cumin powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

To make sauce heat pan over medium high heat add olive oil and sauté scallions and garlic until softened and starting to brown. Add the rest of sauce ingredients stir and simmer over low heat while you prepare the fish.

Dust mackerel fillets in Drake’s and sprinkle with small amount of cumin powder. Heat an oven proof pan or iron skillet over high heat. Add olive oil, and when oil is sizzling hot place fillets flesh side down and sear for about 2 min or until fillet looks browned and crispy around the edges. Flip and pop in the oven for another 3-5 min or until fillet is barely opaque in the center.

Serve on top of sauce.

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Jamaican Jerk Mackerel

Friday, January 21st, 2011 | posted by wendy

This spicy Jamaican paste is great for a fish like Mackerel, which can stand up to the heat and flavor. This recipe makes a lot, so you can keep the extra jerk in the fridge to use with chicken or pork too.

  • 1/4 c ground allspice
  • 1/4 c packed brown sugar or molasses
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 3 scotch bonnet peppers or jalapenos
  • 2 t dried thyme (or 2 T fresh)
  • 1 bunch green onions (scallions)
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 t nutmeg
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 2 T fresh orange juice
  • 1 inch chunk fresh ginger
  • 2 T chopped onion
  • 1/4 c olive oil

Put everything but olive oil into a food processor and pulse, then drizzle in olive oil.

Rub mackerel fillets with jerk seasoning and refrigerate for 15 minutes to a half hour. You can grill, pan sear or bake them at 400° for about 5 minutes then broil for about 2 until the center is opaque.

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Mackerel: "The Perfect Fish!"

Friday, January 21st, 2011 | posted by mike

I’ve always called Atlantic  Mackerel a true “fish lovers” fish because it has dark flesh with lots of fat and flavor that many shy away from. Mackerel has an undeserved bad reputation as a greasy, strong, “fishy-tasting” fish, but to me its the perfect fish in every way.

Flavorful
Good fresh mackerel has full flavor but a nice sweetness to it. I love it’s taste and richness that holds up to almost any bold and flavorful preparation. Mackerel is great with acidic sauces with citrus, tomatoes or capers. It’s perfect for teriyaki with scallions. Curry and mackerel is a great taste. Blackened, broiled with smoked Spanish paprika, miso marinated, pickled for sushi (shime Saba), baked with Swedish mustard dill sauce or chipotle pepper sauce? You name it! It’s bold flavor makes it a great fish to simply bake, broil, steam, pan sear or grill with nothing but a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.
Healthful
Another great thing about mackerel is that it’s one of the most pure (low in mercury, PCBs and other contaminates) and healthful fish in the sea. Full of omega 3 fatty acids,which helps reduce fat in your arteries and lower cholsesterol, boost brain development,l essen the risk of depression and asthma, to name a few. It’s also high in minerals, vitamin B-12, vitamin D and selenium. Purity and goodness, the perfect health food.
Sustainable
Our north Atlantic mackerel stocks are plentiful and sustainable. At the end of the 19th century, the demand for canned mackerel put alot of pressure on the stocks to the point of overfishing. Conservation measures and the enactment of the 200 mile helped bring stocks back to a healthy level. Fishing methods in our north Atlantic for mackerel are very Eco-friendly. Low-impact gear like midwater trawls that target these fish don’t do any damage to the sea floor.

Affordable
You would think that a fish with so much going for it might be a bit pricy but because mackerel are plentiful and not that popular in the U.S. (yet), they are one of the best priced values available. Flavor, versatile with endless recipe possibilities, sustainable, super-healthful and inexpensive—Mackerel IS the perfect fish.

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Grilled Mackerel with Teriyaki Glaze

Friday, July 16th, 2010 | posted by wendy

Mackerel is a rich and buttery fish that holds up to flavorful sauces, rubs and marinade. It’s also inexpensive and sustainable and loaded with the miracle fats, Omega 3s. FANTASTIC on the grill.

Mackerel Fillets
Monahan’s Teriyaki Marinade
Scallions for garnish

Marinade mackerel fillets in some of our Teriyaki marinade for about 30 minutes (you can buy at the market or make it at home using this recipe). Prepare a HOT grill. Remove fillets from marinade to a plate, then put the marinade on the stove and reduce until it has boiled and thickened into a glaze consistency. Reserve.

Clean and oil your grill (very important!) Place fillets flesh-side down on the grill. Baste the skin with the teriyaki reduction, and flip after a minute or so. Generously baste with the glaze until the fish looks bubbly and brown, then remove to a platter and garnish with scallions. Grilling the mackerel will take less than a few minutes per side, as the fillets are not very thick. Due to their omega 3 richness, they are an incredibly moist and succulent fish for grilling. Give it a try!

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Grilling on "The Big Green Egg" at Downtown Home & Garden

Friday, July 16th, 2010 | posted by mike

Our joint grilling demo last Sunday at Downtown Home & Garden was fantastic! A beautiful day on the sidewalk on lovely Ashley Street in front of one of Ann Arbor’s coolest businesses, grilling some of our seafood favorites on The Big Green Egg. I was a bit nervous about doing a demo on a grill that I’ve never used before, but owner, Mark Hodesh assured me that there is nothing to it. And he was right!

This grill is amazing. It’s based on an ancient Asian clay oven kiln like a tandori…thick ceramic that holds in the heat and keeps a steady and easily adjusted temperature. A small amount of natural charcoal keeps heat for many hours because the grill is so thick and well-sealed. Mark started the grill at 9am and it kept a steady temp until 1:30.

Everything that we demonstrated and sampled came out great (and we cooked a big variety). Sardines with course salt & olive oil, barbequed oysters, squid satay with Thai peanut sauce, warm grilled octopus salad, mackerel teriyaki, cedar planked salmon with Irish whiskey maple glaze, swordfish with rosemary-orange marinade, and an herb-wrapped and stuffed whole black sea bass.

We were kickin’ em out and everyone really seemed to enjoy the flavors and learned how easy seafood on the grill can be. The Big Green Egg really impressed everyone too—it was a pleasure to use it and it achieved great results.

One recipe that really seemed to resonate with the crowd was the grilled mackerel. So many people expect the dark fatty little fillets to be too full-flavored or even “fishy.” While mackerel has a good amount of flavor, when it’s been filleted off the bone like we do here at the fishmarket, it’s a rich and buttery fish that holds up to flavorful sauces, rubs and marinade. It’s also inexpensive and sustainable and loaded with the miracle fats, Omega 3s. We used a teriyaki marinade, glazed the fish as it grilled with a teriyaki reduction, and garnished with some scallions and it was a hit! Mackerel is also fantastic with our Cajun rub and a kiwi-citrus glaze or a tomato-caper-balsamic relish…maybe even sweet Swedish mustard dill sauce and grilled new potatoes…the list goes on for this versatile fish, so ask us at the market if you want to try something new!

Big thanks to Mark Hodesh, Margaret Parker and the staff at Downtown Home & Garden for another fun event!

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