Moroccan Style Mackerel Recipes

Steps:

• Remove any pin bones from the fish. Place fish in a dish or nonreactive pan with sides, and dust fish on both sides liberally with salt, about 1/3 cup, covering it completely. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Combine 1 cup of the vinegar with the kombu and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let steep for 3 minutes. Add remaining vinegar.
• Remove fish from refrigerator, rinse off the salt with cold water and pat fish dry. Rinse dish and return fish to the dish. Discard kombu and pour vinegar mixture over fish so it is completely submerged, cover dish and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove fish from vinegar mixture, pat dry, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 hours or longer before slicing.
• To serve: Rinse rice thoroughly and drain. Place in a saucepan with 1 cup cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook about 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside 10 minutes, still covered. Uncover and allow to cool to room temperature.
• While rice is cooking, lightly toast sesame seeds in a small dry skillet. Fold sesame seeds and cucumber into cooked rice. Season to taste with salt.
• Place the rice in a mound on a serving dish or divide among 4 individual plates. Slice mackerel in half lengthwise, then cut each section into 8 pieces and arrange against the rice. Serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Cut the heads off the mackerel by making a cut on one side, behind the gills, through to the back bone. Cut the other side in the same way. Cut through the bone and discard the head. Remove the fins using kitchen scissors. Rinse the fish under cold water, inside and out, and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Using a small sharp knife, make diagonal cuts in the flesh on both sides of the fish. In a bowl, mix the Moroccan-style seasoning with the lemon juice to make a paste. Set half aside and, using a teaspoon, carefully press the rest into the cuts in the mackerel.
• Put the spiced fish in an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Put the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray and cook on a different shelf for the last 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion until soft. Add the pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, then stir in the reserved seasoning.
• Add the broad beans and stock, then heat until boiling. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the couscous and apricots, and heat until simmering. Remove from the heat, cover the pan, and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff up the couscous mixture with a fork and stir in the parsley. Serve with the fish.