Spicy Mackerel with Chiles and Tomato Recipe
By
Adela Jung
Email
Dressed up with spicy chiles, sweet onions, and tangy lime juice, this quick mackerel preparation will help you gain new respect for this underappreciated fish.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 (1-inch-thick) mackerel fillets (about 1 pound), fins removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced crosswise
- 3 medium jalapeños, thinly sliced
- 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into medium dice
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, from 1 lime
INSTRUCTIONS
- Season fish generously on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper; set aside.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add onion, jalapeños, garlic, chili powder, and cumin and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft and starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, season with additional salt, and cook until tomatoes just begin to break down, about 2 minutes more.
- Create 4 spaces in the vegetables and nestle fish, skin side up, in the empty spaces. Cook until underside is golden in color, about 5 minutes. Flip fish over, add lime juice, and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate any browned bits, until almost all the liquid is gone, about 2 minutes more.
Holy cow this is hot! I think the peppers actually killed the taste of the fish. I would make this again, but possibly cut the jalepenos in half and add some sweet peppers to the mix. Might also seed the hot peppers. The nice thing about jalapenos is that they are hot only while in your mouth - they don't fry your taste buds for days. But even my jalapeno loving husband found this a bit too spicy.
Pretty picture!
It sounds wonderful. Spiciness should go well with mackerel! Mackerel is one of those super fish that has high omega-3 and so it not only tastes good but also healthful.