Chef Thomas
Anglesey Eggs
Eggs bedded into leek-flecked mash under a blanket of sharp cheese sauce, baked until golden and bubbling. A Welsh supper dish that proves the simplest things are usually the best.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Grilled Mackerel with Mustard and Lemon
Created by Chef Thomas
Whole mackerel scored and smeared with a sharp mustard dressing, blistered under a fierce grill and finished with lemon. A ten-minute supper for a warm evening when the fish is good and the appetite is honest.
Main Dishes
British
Weeknight
Quick Meal
10 min
Active Time
8 min cook•18 min total
Yield2 servings
The mackerel at the market this morning were fat and firm and still had that iridescent shimmer, blue-green-silver, like petrol on a puddle. That's how you know. When they're fresh, really fresh, they look like they're still moving. I bought four and carried them home in paper.
Mackerel wants heat and sharpness. The oiliness of the fish is the thing people flinch at, but it's also the thing that makes it worth cooking. A hot grill crisps the skin and renders some of that richness out, and a smear of mustard cuts through what's left. English mustard for the kick, Dijon for the smoothness. Lemon over the top, enough to make your fingers sting. The whole thing takes less time than setting the table.
This is a June supper, or July, when mackerel are running and the evenings are long enough that you're still eating in daylight. I wrote it down in the notebook years ago: mackerel, mustard, lemon, Tuesday. It's become one of those meals I come back to when I want something that tastes clean and direct, like the sea got involved in dinner. There are few better feelings than putting a plate of grilled fish in front of someone on a warm evening and watching them reach for the bread before you've sat down.
A recipe is a conversation, not a contract. If you prefer one mustard to the other, use that. If you've got a handful of capers or some cornichons, chop them through. The fish is the thing. Get the best you can.
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Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole mackerel
Quantity
2
gutted and cleaned
English mustard
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Dijon mustard
Quantity
1 tablespoon
lemon
Quantity
1
juiced, plus extra wedges to serve
good olive oil
Quantity
a good glug
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
small handful
roughly chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole mackerelgutted and cleaned | 2 |
| English mustard | 1 tablespoon |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tablespoon |
| lemonjuiced, plus extra wedges to serve | 1 |
| good olive oil | a good glug |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| black pepper | to taste |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)roughly chopped | small handful |
Equipment Needed
- •Grill tray or baking sheet lined with foil
- •Sharp knife for scoring
- •Fish slice for turning
Instructions
- 1
Score the mackerel
Lay the mackerel on a board and slash each side three or four times on the diagonal, cutting down to the bone but not through it. The slashes let the heat in and the mustard through. Without them, the skin blisters and the flesh underneath stays pale. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper. Wet skin under a grill doesn't crisp. It steams.
Ask your fishmonger to gut and clean the mackerel for you. That's what they're there for. If the fish is properly fresh, the eyes will be clear and bright and it will smell of the sea, not of fish. - 2
Mix the mustard dressing
In a small bowl, stir together the English mustard and the Dijon. The English brings heat; the Dijon brings depth and a little sweetness. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pour of olive oil, enough to loosen it into something you can spread with the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it. It should be sharp and warm and make your nose prickle slightly.
- 3
Dress the fish
Smear the mustard mixture over both sides of each mackerel, working it into the scored cuts with your fingers. Don't be precious about it. The fish should be generously coated, not painted with a pastry brush. Rub a little oil onto the bars of your grill tray as well, or line it with foil and oil that. Mackerel sticks if you let it.
- 4
Grill until blistered
Get the grill as hot as it will go. Put the mackerel on the tray, skin side up, about ten centimetres from the element. Grill for four minutes or so, until the skin has blistered and charred in places and the mustard has turned golden and caught at the edges. Turn the fish carefully (a fish slice and a bit of confidence) and give the other side three to four minutes more. The flesh should be opaque and just pulling away from the bone. If you press a finger to the thickest part, it should feel firm but give a little.
If you don't trust the grill, a very hot griddle pan does the same job. Get it smoking before the fish goes on. Two to three minutes each side. You'll know it's ready by the smell: smoky, mustardy, slightly sweet. - 5
Finish and serve
Lift the mackerel onto warm plates. Squeeze lemon over each fish generously. The juice hits the hot skin and sizzles, and the smell that comes up is the whole point of this meal. Scatter a little parsley if you have it, though the fish doesn't need much else. Serve with bread to mop up the juices, or a pile of salad leaves dressed with nothing but lemon and oil. A boiled potato, halved and buttered, if you want something more. We're only making dinner.
Chef Tips
- •Mackerel doesn't keep. Buy it the day you plan to cook it, or the day before at most. By the second day, the oils start to turn and the fish tastes tired. Freshness isn't a bonus with mackerel. It's the entire point.
- •The two-mustard trick is worth remembering beyond this recipe. English mustard is all heat and no subtlety. Dijon is rounder, with a vinegar backbone. Together they give you something more interesting than either alone. Mix them for dressings, for cheese on toast, for anything that needs a bit of sharpness.
- •If you can find line-caught mackerel, so much the better. It's plentiful, sustainable, and cheap, which makes it one of the more responsible fish you can buy in this country. Your fishmonger will know where it came from. Ask.
- •A glass of something dry and crisp alongside this. A Muscadet, or a dry cider if you're feeling more British about it. The acidity of the wine does the same job as the lemon: it cuts through the oil and makes the next bite taste as good as the first.
Advance Preparation
- •The mustard dressing can be mixed a few hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before using so it spreads easily.
- •This is not a dish that waits. Grilled mackerel is best eaten the moment it comes out from under the heat. Don't try to make it ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
490 calories
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
29 g
Cholesterol
130 mg
Sodium
1070 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
35 g
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