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Baked Spanish Mackerel Fillet Recipe

Here’s a baked Spanish Mackerel Recipe for a healthy lunch or dinner!

There are hundreds of Spanish fish recipes, but the magic of Andalusian cuisine is that there is always something new to discover.

One of these recipes that will blow your mind (and your palate) when you try it is the Spanish mackerel fillet.

Unlike other Spanish mackerel recipes, this one is extremely easy to make, and any home cook can do it in a matter of minutes. Continue reading to learn how to make it yourself.

Top shot of 2 slices of fish that were baked. It has some slices of lemon on top.
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Background of the Dish

healthy Mackerel recipe on a white plate next to some baked potatoes.

This Spanish mackerel fillet recipe arose to give battle to the typical English fish and chips.

It has several differences from the British recipe, here baked potatoes are used, and the mackerel fillet is cooked in the oven (not fried). 

In addition, the garlic, parsley, and olive oil make their presence known giving it the authentic flavor of southern Spain.

We know that Andalucia offers hundreds of fantastic seafood recipes, such as the grilled sardines, the Spanish sardines pasta, and the Spanish clams recipe.

But, give this Spanish mackerel a try, we assure you that you won’t regret it.

Things You’ll Need for Spanish Mackerel Fillet

mackerel fish on a wooden plate ready to be cut for a mackerel recipe

To make this recipe you only need the fish fillets, onion, garlic, olive oil, wine, and potatoes (and there are hundreds of substitutions you can make).

As for kitchen tools, a baking mackerel tray is more than enough.

If you want to delve deeper into the world of Andalusian recipes, check out the easy Spanish fish soup, the fried Spanish calamari, or the fantastic Ensalada Rusa.

Ingredients

  • 4 clean mackerel fillets
  • 4 potatoes
  • 2 onions
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 glass (120ml) white wine

How to Make Spanish Mackerel Fillet – Step by Step Guide

Woman putting a tray of oven baked mackerel fillets to be cooked in the oven

Here is how to cook Spanish mackerel fillets, please take note of our king mackerel recipes:

  1. The first step in this baked mackerel recipe is to grab the potatoes and onions, then clean, peel and cut them. Do the same with the red bell pepper, and remove the seeds. 
  1. Then, place them on a baking tray (with a dash of oil so they don’t stick), salt to taste, and cook in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Stir once or twice so they cook evenly.
  1. Chop the garlic and the parsley. In a food processor, blender, or mixer put them together with the wine and the tablespoons of olive oil.
  1. Once the potatoes are almost cooked, take the tray out of the oven, place the mackerel fillets on top and add the mixture of garlic, parsley, and oil.
  1. After that, take the tray with the Spanish fish to the oven and cook for 10 minutes at the same temperature. If the fillet is thick (or large), cook for an extra 5 minutes.
  1. For the final step, take the tray out of the oven, and the Spanish mackerel fillet is now ready to serve. As an optional step, you can put some fresh chopped parsley on top

Substitution of Ingredients

baked Spanish Mackerel Fillet with potatoes, served on a white plate.

There are several changes you can make to the ingredients in this healthy mackerel recipe. First, you can use other fish such as hake, tuna, barracuda, etc.

We also have listed some vegetables that are the accompaniment, but you can make your Spanish mackerel fillet without them.

You can skip the mix of garlic, parsley, oil, and wine, or just remove the wine (you should add a little more oil in that case).

But there are still more changes you can make, for example, there are different ways of cooking mackerel.

You can turn it into Spanish fried fish. In this case, take 2 eggs, beat them, and pass the fillets through there and then through breadcrumbs. Then you can fry them (for 7 minutes or until golden) and serve.

In that case, you would have a fried mackerel and you could avoid cooking the onions and potatoes (although they are the perfect accompaniment). 

You could use the garlic, parsley, and olive oil sauce as a seasoning (without the wine).

If you want a flavorful Spanish mackerel ceviche, make sure to marinate fillets in lime juice for 15-20 minutes and do the rest of the instructions.

Try the Spanish sea bass recipe or the Spanish salmon recipe if you like fish recipes that are super easy to make and don’t require a lot of cooking skills.

Instead of baking, you can try another method. To make Spanish mackerel recipes pan fried, after marinating, cook them in a hot skillet for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Learn how to make Spanish mackerel sashimi, a delicacy made with raw and frozen mackerel and served with a Spanish marinade.

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Tips on Serving Spanish Mackerel Fillet

a close-up of an oven baked Mackerel fillets on baked vegetables on a plate

As with other Spanish fish dishes, you can serve them as tapas or as a main course.

If you choose to serve them as tapas, we recommend that you cut a few slices of your favorite bread to serve the Spanish mackerel on top.

It is authentically the best fish dish since its serving methods do not end there. It can be the main dish since this Spanish fish recipe includes a side dish (baked potatoes).

Alternatively, instead of fillets, make a king mackerel steak recipe. You marinate the steaks, then fry, bake, or grill over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Try other fish recipes with mackerel like the mackerel patty recipe, grilled mackerel recipe, baked mackerel in foil, or mackerel soup recipe.

And give a go to the mackerel pate recipe, a simple mackerel spread that’s both healthy and nutritious.

How to Store Spanish Mackerel Fillet

An open fridge with various vegetables and fruits in plastic containers.

There are different ways to store this Spanish fish dish. If you follow them step by step, then there is no way to fail.

In both cases, it is essential that when you finish making the fish recipe you let it come to room temperature if you plan to store it and not eat it immediately.

Then, please put it on a covered tray or plate, or a container with a lid so that it stays isolated from any aromas in the fridge.

You can then store your Spanish mackerel fillet in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 30 days.

If you choose to freeze them, let them thaw overnight in the fridge before eating.

Recipe Card: Spanish Mackerel Fillet

Yield: 4

Spanish Mackerel Fillet Recipe

a close-up of an oven baked Mackerel fillets on baked vegetables on a plate

There are hundreds of Spanish fish recipes, but the magic of Andalusian cuisine is that there is always something new to discover.

One of these recipes that will blow your mind (and your palate) when you try it is the Spanish mackerel fillet.

Unlike other Spanish mackerel recipes, this one is extremely easy to make, and any home cook can do it in a matter of minutes.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 clean mackerel fillets
  • 4 potatoes
  • 2 onions
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 glass (120ml) white wine

Instructions

  1. Peel and cut the potatoes and onion. Clean and cut the red bell pepper removing the seeds
  2. Then, put them on a baking tray (with a dash of oil so they don't stick), salt to taste, and cook in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Stir once or twice so they don't burn on one side.
  3. Chop the garlic and the parsley. In a food processor, blender, or mixer put them together with the wine and the tablespoons of olive oil.
  4. When the potatoes are almost cooked, take the tray out of the oven, place the mackerel fillets on top and add the mixture of garlic, parsley, and oil.
  5. Take the tray to the oven and cook for 10 minutes at the same temperature. If the fillet is very large, cook for an extra 5 minutes.
  6. When the fish is ready, take the tray out of the oven, and they are ready to serve. As an optional step, you can put some fresh chopped parsley on top.

Notes

Mackerel fillet is the perfect fish for this recipe, but you can make it with any type of seafood, you just have to adjust the cooking time.

This recipe is for baked mackerel, but you can cook it in a skillet. Just put the stove on medium heat, a good nonstick pan, and cook also for 10/15 minutes until cooked.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 565Total Fat 31.7gSaturated Fat 5.6gCholesterol 63mgSodium 118mgCarbohydrates 42.2gFiber 6.8gSugar 6.6gProtein 25.4g

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FAQs on Baked Spanish King Mackerel Recipe

How to cook Spanish mackerel?

To cook Spanish salted mackerel, season it with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, then grill or bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes until the fish is flaky and cooked through.

How to cook whole mackerel in foil?

The whole mackerel recipes tells us to season the fish with salt, pepper, and lemon slices, wrap it tightly in foil, and bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flaky.

What is the best way to cook Spanish mackerel?

One way to cook Spanish mackerel is to grill it; other tasty options are baking, broiling, poaching, and smoking. The best way to cook Spanish mackerel fillets is to pan-sear them. You can also make mackerel soup by boiling it with vegetables and fish stock.

How do you cook Spanish mackerel?

There are Spanish mackerel fillet recipes, you can cook them by seasoning the fillets and either grilling, pan-frying, baking, broiling, or poaching them until the flesh is flaky and cooked through.



karen

Saturday 3rd of June 2023

made this recipe tonight and it was delicious. As i said earlier, i first sauted the potato onion pepper garlic salt pepper in cast iron before adding fish more s & p, wine, lemon juice and putting it into the oven for 10 minutes. FIrst time i've ever had Spanish mackerel, and it was lovely. May do it again with cod or halibut or hake. thanks!

karen

Friday 2nd of June 2023

Just got 2 fresh spanish mackerel filets from fish monger; going to make this recipe tonight but will do step 1 (onion, pepper garlic) in cast iron pan on top of oven. and then turn on oven and put fish on top and bake 8-10 minutes.. it's too hot to leave oven on for more than afew minutes! recipe sounds delicious.

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