Best Salt Broiled Mackerel Recipes

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.

CLASSIC SALT-GRILLED FISH

Steps:

• To clean the sardines, have at hand a large bowl of cold salted water. Rinse the whole fish under cold running water. Scale the fish. Cut open the belly, and remove the gills and intestine without damaging them. Rinse the inside of the belly thoroughly but gently. Don't use a toothbrush, because sardines are very tender. Rinse the fish again in the salted water. Drain the fish, and wipe it dry with paper towels. For a more attractive presentation of cooked whole fish, you can remove the gills and intestine together without cutting the belly. To do this, insert a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks through the mouth of the fish and deep into the belly. Rotate the chopsticks several times, and then gently pull them out, with the intestine and gills sandwiched between them. If you won't be cooking the fish for several hours, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate it.
• If you are using swordfish steaks, rinse them in cold salted water (1½ tablespoons fine salt per quart of water) very briefly. Once fish is filleted and cut into pieces, it loses its flavor quickly in water. Drain the steaks, and wipe them dry with paper towels.
• Salt the fish using the proper amount of salt (see note), and let it stand for 20 minutes. During the salting period, fire up a grill or broiler. Heat the grill rack or broiler pan to a very high temperature before placing the fish on it. This will prevent the fish from sticking to the rack or pan.
• Rinse the fish in a bowl of salted cold water (1½ tablespoons fine salt per quart of water). Wipe the fish dry with a paper towel.
• Place the fish on the hot grill rack or broiler pan, about 4 inches from the heat source, with the side that will face the diner toward the heat. Cook the fish over high heat until its surface has attained a nice golden color. Turn over the fish just once. A 1-inch-thick fish takes about 8 to 10 minutes of total cooking time.
• Mix the daikon with the soy sauce. Accompany each serving with a little tinted daikon and two lemon wedges.

SALT-BROILED MACKEREL

Steps:

• Slash the skin side of the fish about 1/4-inch deep, at 1-inch intervals. Put it on a rack set over a sink or bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt on both sides (you should use at least 1 teaspoon per side for each fillet). Let rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat the broiler, with the heat source within 4 inches of the broiling rack. Put a grate or rack on a sturdy pan (lined with aluminum foil, if you like, to ease cleanup) and heat it for about 5 minutes. Rinse the fillets and pat them dry.
• When the pan is hot, put the fillets on the rack, skin side up. Broil, carefully turning once about 3/4 of the way through cooking, until the fish is opaque and the tip of a knife flakes the thickest part easily, no more than 10 minutes. Carefully remove the fillets with a spatula and serve, skin side up, with lemon wedges and soy sauce.

JAPANESE BROILED MACKEREL

Steps:

• Rinse fillets, and pat dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and fresh ginger. Place fillets into the marinade, and let stand for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat your ovens broiler, or an outdoor grill for high heat. Broil the fillets, basting occasionally, until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 to 8 minutes. Serve with a lemon slice or long white radish slice as a garnish.

BROILED SPANISH MACKEREL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Lightly grease a baking dish.
• Rub both sides of each mackerel fillet with olive oil and place with the skin side down into the prepared baking dish. Season each fillet with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Top each fillet with two lemon slices.
• Bake the fillets under the broiler until the fish just begins to flake, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.