Spanish Mack
Printed From: Foods of the World Forum
Category: Food Groups
Forum Name: Meats, Fish and Eggs
Forum Discription: A place to discuss meats, fish, eggs and other non-vegetable protiens in general.
URL: http://foodsoftheworld.ActiveBoards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=4647
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 21:56
Topic: Spanish Mack
Posted By: HistoricFoodie
Subject: Spanish Mack
Date Posted: 16 June 2016 at 08:49
I broke down and bought a whole Spanish mackerel from Whole Foods, and wanted to do something special with it. Spanish mackerel is a fish I'd much rather catch than buy. But, when you're 800 miles from the ocean, that's hard to do.
I cut the fish into steaks, and fabricated noisettes from them---a real PITA, considering the small size of the bones, as compared to, say, salmon. When finished I had eight noisettes, each about 1 ¼ inches thick.
For the marinade, I combined the zest of one Valencia orange, the juice of two Valencias, 5 tablespoons home-made Dijon mustard, and a quarter cup of evoo. I put the noisettes in this mixture to marinate while I got the fire going. In total, they fish was in the marinade 30 minutes, turning it once halfway through. I probably could have soaked it longer, but was concerned that the acid would start cooking the fish.
The noisettes were grilled over charcoal for five minutes per side, then held in a warm oven while I got everything else ready.
I brought the remaining marinade to boil, and added a slurry made from 1 tablespoon arrowroot and enough orange liquor to thin it down. Soon as it started to thicken I turned off the heat.
For service, I laid down a circle of sweet/sour red cabbage. I then piped sweet potato puree, through a large star tip, around the cabbage. A noisette was then placed in the center of the cabbage, and a spoonful of sauce drizzled over it.
The result was terrific; one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever made. This was especially gratifying, as I made it up as I went along.
Spanish mackerel is always described as being strong tasting and oily. But keep in mind they describe salmon the same way. In fact, the Spanish is a mild, sort of flaky fish. Again, in many respects, similar to salmon.
My only disappointment is that the noisettes weren’t over the fire long enough for the skin to crisp up. I love crispy fish skin, but can’t abide it when it’s flabby. I suspect I had them too far from the coals, is why this happened. But, on the other hand, closer to the fire might have over-cooked the flesh.
Salmon steaks, if you can find them, would work spectacularly with this dish. Not to mention being a lot easier to fabricate.
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But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Replies:
Posted By: gonefishin
Date Posted: 16 June 2016 at 10:43
Sounds great! Love to see pictures, but you write well enough where it's not a necessity. Enjoyed reading the recipe
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Enjoy The Food!
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Posted By: HistoricFoodie
Date Posted: 17 June 2016 at 07:38
Thanks, Dan.
How was your trip?
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But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Posted By: gonefishin
Date Posted: 19 June 2016 at 07:05
It was nice, but I sure am tired of driving
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Enjoy The Food!
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