spanish pub-style mackerel
The story of this recipe starts with a pile of fresh octopus, an abundancy of chopped garlic, much white wine and an excess of olive oil in this restaurant in Cadiz:
Needless to say, this experience was followed by a sleepless night in the hotel, but the basic concept nevertheless struck me as so successful that I wanted to try it at home, using fresh fillets of mackerel, skin on.
Ingredients for 2:
4 super-fresh fillets of mackerel
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 fresh red chili pepper, finely chopped
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped very fine
Some fresh or dried oregano (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, salt, lemon juice to taste, good olive oil (as much as you dare)
Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet, put in the garlic and the chili (and the oregano), sizzle for a while at medium heat. Slide the fillets into the skillet and cook on one side (I can’t decide whether you start with the skin down or not) until you think that after turning and cooking the other side for the same amount of time the fish will be done. Add the parsley and turn the fish around. Cook until done. Prevent the garlic from browning too much. Add salt to taste and transfer the fish fillets to a plate. Add lemon juice and black pepper to the pan, cook a little more on low heat and pour the content of the pan over the fish fillets.
