This grilled mackerel is a weeknight revelation: rich, flavorful fillets soaked in a punchy mustard-soy marinade, then grilled until the edges turn beautifully charred and caramelized. The marinade does all the heavy lifting, so dinner tastes like it came from a seaside grill restaurant. If you enjoy easy fish dinners, you will also love our baked fish with vegetables and cheese sauce.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) mackerel
- 50 g (3 tbsp) mustard
- 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) soy sauce
- 50 ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) vegetable oil (olive works well)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Thaw the mackerel. Fillet it, removing the innards very thoroughly, and rinse well.
- For the marinade, whisk the mustard, soy sauce, and oil. Sea fish loves salt, so add a little.
- For grilling: score the fish, coat generously with marinade, and marinate a couple of hours.
- Grill over coals (or on a grill pan) until cooked through and charred at the edges.
Tips
Score the fish. Lightly scoring the skin helps the marinade penetrate deeper and keeps the fillets from curling up on the hot grill.
Give it time to marinate. A couple of hours in the mustard-soy mixture makes the fish deeply savory; even 30 minutes helps when you are short on time. Fish lovers should also try our creamy red fish soup (ukha).
Watch the heat. Mackerel is rich in natural oils and chars quickly, so keep an eye on it and move the fish to indirect heat if flare-ups happen. For more grilling know-how, browse the guides at seriouseats.com.
Nutrition: per 100 g: 131 kcal, protein 13 g, fat 6 g, carbs 5 g.