Grilled Mackerel With Toasted Garlic Butter Food

WHOLE GRILLED MACKEREL

Steps:

• Preheat grill to medium-high (if using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 3 or 4 seconds). Using a sharp knife, make a few slashes in skin on both sides of fish. Open fish like a book. Season inside with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Thinly slice 1 lemon; arrange lemon and thyme sprigs over 1 side of fish. Close fish, and rub oil all over skin.
• Grill fish until skin is charred on 1 side, about 10 minutes. Carefully turn fish; cover, and cook until flesh inside is opaque, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer fish to a platter, and open like a book. Drizzle with oil and juice from remaining lemon.

GRILLED MACKEREL FILLETS

Steps:

• Mix all the marinade ingredients, then pour over the fish. Set aside for 20 mins.
• For the salad, combine the sesame oil, lime juice, soy, honey and sweet chilli to make a dressing, then toss with the leaves.
• Grill the marinated mackerel under a hot grill for 5 mins, basting two or three times with any excess marinade, until the flesh begins to flake. Slice and serve with the dressed salad leaves.

ROASTED WHOLE MACKEREL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Put a baking sheet on the rack in the center of the oven and close the door. Drizzle both sides of the fish with olive oil and season the inside and outside with salt. Stuff the cavity with the lemon slices and the leftover fennel stalks and fronds.
• Open the oven door and carry the fish over squarely in both of your hands. Put the fish in the center of the hot sheet pan and quickly close the door so minimal heat escapes. You should hear the fish sizzle slightly as it hits the hot sheet pan. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees F and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, then open the door to look at the fish. The eyes will turn white when it s cooked. Touch the fish near the head. It should feel fairly firm, if cooked. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow it to rest a few minutes as is.
• Use 2 spatulas, 1 under the head and the other under the midsection, to transfer the fish to a serving platter. Use a paring knife to gently cut around the head and the tail. Cut down the length of the back until you can insert 1 of your spatulas down the length of the top fillet and lift it off the bone. Then, lift the head and the full backbone off the fish, unveiling the second fillet. Season the fish with a pinch of salt and lemon juice. Serve with lemon slices.

ROASTED GARLIC THYME BUTTER

Steps:

• Put the garlic cloves in a saucepan with just enough olive oil to cover them. Place over low heat and simmer until the cloves are soft and golden, 30-40 minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop the garlic into a bowl, then mash to a puree. Immediately strain the oil through a coffee filter and reserve.
• Process the butter in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Add 1/4-cup of the garlic puree (save any extra for spreading on bread), 1-1/2 Tbs. of the reserved garlic oil, the thyme, and a pinch of salt. Process until well blended. Taste and add more salt if needed. Refrigerate until firm enough to shape into a log.
• Put an 18-inch sheet of aluminum foil on your work surface. Spoon the butter down the center of the foil into a log about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Enclose in foil and twist the ends to make a sealed log, like a Tootsie Roll. Refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months.

SALT-GRILLED SPANISH MACKEREL

Steps:

• Rinse each of the fish steaks under fresh cold water, then pat them dry. Let the fish marinate in the rice wine for 5 to 10 minutes, turning the fish once halfway through.
• Preheat your broiler to the highest setting possible, or if you are grilling outdoors, make sure your coals are burning hot.
• Remove the fish from the marinade, and very lightly salt the flesh on both sides. Salt the surrounding skin a bit more generously. Place the fish on a rack set over a foil-lined tray, or use disposable foil broiling pans for easier cleanup. If you are broiling outdoors, you may wish to lightly oil the rack on which the fish will be laid. Broil the fish for 6 to 7 minutes, or until it is opaque and slightly browned around the edges. Flip the fish with a large metal spatula, and broil for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the fish is just cooked through.
• Cut the lemon into 4 wedges, and serve each piece of fish with one of them. The Japanese typically serve a small mound of grated radish to the side of the fish. Each person then dribbles some soy sauce over the radish and spread this mixture on the fish just before conveying it to the mouth. If you wish to follow suit, drain the grated radish of excess liquid before mounding it on the plates.

GRILLED CORN WITH ROASTED GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350.
• Cut off and discard top quarter of each garlic head.
• Place garlic in small baking dish.
• Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil.
• Cover dish with foil and bake until garlic is tender, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
• cool garlic slightly.
• Squeeze garlic out of papery skins, letting garlic fall into small bowl.
• Mash with fork.
• Stir in butter.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• (Roasted garlic can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.) Prepare barbeque to medium heat.
• Brush corn lightly all over with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
• Grill corn until brown in spots, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes, or wrap in foil if you prefer and cook 15-20 minutes, turning often.
• Serve hot, passing roasted garlic butter seperately.

ROASTED MACKEREL WITH GARLIC AND PAPRIKA

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• 2. Put the garlic and paprika into a mortar, add the salt, and pound to a smooth paste. Add a few drops of olive oil, then rub the flesh side of the mackerel fillets with the paste and set aside.
• 3. Make the vinaigrette. Put all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay the mackerel fillets skin side up on the paper and season the skin with sea salt. Roast for 8-10 minutes until the skin is crisp and the fish is cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to rest.
• 5. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water for about 15 minutes until tender, then drain. Return to the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Crush lightly with the back of a fork, then add the scallions and stir to combine. Season with salt, then add a couple of tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
• 6. Serve the crushed potatoes topped with the mackerel and a drizzle of the remaining vinaigrette.