Don’t you wish that cooking a full meal could be as easy as putting some ingredients on a baking tray and taking it to the oven? Thankfully, some Spanish recipes are as simple as that.
When it comes to Spanish mackerel recipes, the mackerel oven recipe is as easy as it gets and you will have a full meal perfect for any occasion: formal, casual, dinner, or lunch, you name it.
Read this article to discover more about how to cook fresh mackerel in the oven, plus some important information on how to store, serve, and customize this recipe.
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Background of the Dish
The classic mackerel fish recipe was created centuries ago in Andalusia, as mackerel is a really popular and abundant fish in the region.
In the original recipe, people just covered the fish in oil and spices and the preferred cooking method was grilling.
As time went the recipe changed so much that new versions were developed, such as the mackerel oven recipe that has similar ingredients but more vegetables and you have to bake the fish in the oven to cook it.
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Things You’ll Need for Mackerel Oven Recipe
To make the best mackerel recipe you just need whole mackerel, garlic, olive oil, onion, cherry tomatoes, and a mix of herbs and spices.
How to oven-cook mackerel is super simple, but as we will show you later, you can follow other cooking methods such as grilling or smoking.
Ingredients
- 3 whole mackerel (about 1 to 1.5 pounds each), gutted and scaled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup (150gr) cherry tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
How to Make Mackerel Oven Recipe – Step by Step Guide
- For the first step in this mackerel oven recipe, you just have to preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Now peel and chop the onion into thin slices. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Remove the guts and scales from the whole mackerel (or ask your fishmonger to clean it for you).
- Then, grease a large baking pan or dish with olive oil to prevent sticking. Make sure it’s large enough to accommodate the mackerel without crowding. Place the gutted and scaled mackerel in the greased baking pan.
- After that, grab a small bowl and combine the minced garlic, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and black pepper.
- To continue with this oven mackerel recipe, drizzle the olive oil over the mackerel and use your hands to rub it evenly over the fish.
- Now sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the Spanish mackerel, ensuring they are well-coated.
- Then, scatter the thinly sliced onions around the mackerel in the baking pan. Place the cherry tomatoes around the Spanish mackerel fish.
- Next, cover the baking pan with a lid or an oven-safe cover. If you don’t have a cover, you can use a large oven-safe dish or tray inverted over the pan.
- For the next step in this oven-cooked mackerel recipe, take the fish to the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until it is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
- After that, remove the cover from the pan and bake for 10 more minutes to allow the fish to brown slightly and the tomatoes to soften.
- Once done, remove from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve the mackerel oven-baked immediately.
Substitution of Ingredients
Oven-baked mackerel recipes are as simple as placing everything in a tray and cooking it in the oven, and as long as you have mackerel you can prepare it.
When it comes to the vegetables for this mackerel recipe, you can use others like regular tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc.
Instead of a whole king mackerel recipe, you can turn it into a Spanish mackerel filet recipe which will make it faster (use one filet per person).
Other alternatives on how to cook Spanish mackerel are grilling it or smoking it.
Keep in mind that you can play a lot with the herbs and spices for this oven-baked mackerel recipe, so use just your favorite ones.
Give a go to other recipes with mackerel like the smoked mackerel pasta recipe, the quick mackerel burger recipe and the Mediterranean mackerel recipe.
Tips on Serving Mackerel Oven Recipe
If you are looking for oven-cooked mackerel recipes that can be served as a main dish at any time of the day then the mackerel oven recipe is the perfect fit for you.
Once you finish preparing the fish mackerel recipe you just have to put the fish on a plate, cover it with the cooked vegetables, and drizzle some of that cooking juice on top of the fish.
Some side dishes that go really well with this Spanish mackerel recipe are the classic mixed green salad, marinated carrots, ensaladilla rusa, or potato salad with beets.
If you want you can serve it in smaller portions as an appetizer, or check out another Andalusian tapas like the mackerel cutlet recipe.
How to Store Mackerel Oven Recipe
We have great news for you: once you finish making the mackerel oven recipe you can eat it right away or store it for later.
In the case that you choose the latter, you just have to let it cool to room temperature and place it in a covered container (with a lid or plastic wrap).
Then, you can store it for up to 3 days in the fridge or 45 days in the freezer (ensure the container is safe to use in each case).
Let it thaw overnight in the fridge and to reheat it, just place it in the oven for 30 minutes or until it is completely warm.
Other Spanish recipes that you can prepare and store for later are the healthy mackerel recipe and the spicy mackerel recipe.
Recipe Card: Mackerel Oven Recipe
Best Mackerel Oven Recipe
Don't you wish that cooking a full meal could be as easy as putting some ingredients on a baking tray and taking it to the oven? Thankfully, some Spanish recipes are as simple as that.
When it comes to Spanish mackerel recipes, the mackerel oven recipe is as easy as it gets and you will have a full meal perfect for any occasion: formal, casual, dinner, or lunch, you name it.
Read this article to discover more about how to cook fresh mackerel in the oven, plus some important information on how to store, serve, and customize this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 whole mackerel (about 1 to 1.5 pounds each), gutted and scaled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup (150gr) cherry tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- To start with this mackerel oven recipe, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Peel and chop the onion into thin slices. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Remove the guts and scales from the whole mackerel (or ask your fishmonger to clean it for you).
- Grease a large baking pan or dish with olive oil to prevent sticking. Make sure it's large enough to accommodate the mackerel without crowding. Place the gutted and scaled mackerel in the greased baking pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and black pepper.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the mackerel and use your hands to rub it evenly over the fish.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the Spanish mackerel, ensuring they are well-coated.
- Scatter the thinly sliced onions around the mackerel in the baking pan. Place the cherry tomatoes around the Spanish mackerel fish.
- Cover the baking pan with a lid or an oven-safe cover. If you don't have a cover, you can use a large oven-safe dish or tray inverted over the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the mackerel is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 10 more minutes to allow the fish to brown slightly and the tomatoes to soften.
- Once done, remove from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve immediately.
Notes
For a more oven roasted mackerel recipe we recommend that you add more vegetables, such as bell peppers and even potatoes or sweet potatoes.
For a faster cooking process, you can prepare this recipe with Spanish mackerel filets.
If you don't have a lid for your tray (or another tray that can do the trick), then you can make it like baked mackerel in foil and cover the whole mackerel on it.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 193Total Fat 11.8gSaturated Fat 2.3gCholesterol 53mgSodium 51mgCarbohydrates 3.9gFiber 1.1gSugar 1.6gProtein 17.9g
Hola, I’m Paulina! Together with my team, we are passionate about Southern Spain. Here we share all you need to know for great times in Southern Spain with the best places to visit, stay and, of course, the best food to eat.
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