Oven-Grilled Mackerel With Chermoula
Whole mackerel marinated in a smoky, herbaceous chermoula and grilled in the oven.
Ingredients
- 4 Mackerel, cleaned, kept whole
- ½ tbsp olive oil
For the chermoula
- 30 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 30 g flatleaf parsely, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly roasted
- 1½ tsp coriander seeds, lightly rosted
- 1½ tbsp paprika
- A small pinch of saffron
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
To make the chermoula
- Gently warm the apple cider vinegar and add the saffron. Let it infuse for 5 minutes.
- Combine all the ingredients including the saffron and vinegar in a mortar and pound till you have a rough paste or process in a food processor. The chermoula should be coarsely ground.
- Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator.
To make the grilled mackerel
- Coat the mackerel with the chermoula making sure to rub some of the marinade into the slits on the sides of the fish. Marinate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the broiler in the oven to 180°C.
- Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a pan on medium heat and lightly sear the fish, cooking for no more than 30 seconds on each side.
- Place the fish on a baking sheet and grill in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with additional chermoula on the side.