Monday, July 2, 2012

Mack Attack!!!!

I was having a bit of a Mack Attack - in this case I had a frozen package of Japanese salted mackerel in my freezer that I've been wanting to cook. Since I just got a new indoor grill, I thought this would be the best way to test it out.  I also grilled some tofu. 

A few important tips on cooking with salted mackerel:
  • Don't salt it. Not even a little bit!!!!  Otherwise, it will be too salty to eat. It's already salted. 
  • Salted mackerel has a very, very fishy smell and taste.  It's an oily fish with loads of Omega-3 fatty acids, so its incredibly good for you.  To reduce some of the fishy smell, I take my fish out of the package,  lay it on the cutting board and blot it dry with a paper towel. Be careful, it tears easily!  Then I brush on a mixture of sake and grated ginger. (both sides)  Let it sit for 15 minutes, then blot it off with another paper towel. You want the surface to be as dry as possible.
  • Brush both sides with some oil. I used olive oil.  If you're worried about sticking, you can wrap the fish in aluminum foil instead of grilling directly.
I made a quick sauce with soy sauce, grated ginger, honey and sesame oil.  I brushed this over both the grilled tofu and the mackerel while they were cooking.  My meal is finished off with some grated daikon (which goes great with mackerel or other oily fishes), some pickles, wakame soup, and a bowl of rice with a pickled plum sitting in it.



This is a very healthy meal - lots of protein and heart healthy fats! Unfortunately, it also has loads of sodium, so keep this in mind if you're watching your sodium intake.

Itadakimasu!!!!