Baked Mackerel with Potatoes and Onions

Baked mackerel cooked in the oven with salad potatoes, red onion and a little cider & dijon mustard, an easy foolproof way of cooking fish.

It is an easy recipe to cook, all you need to do is parboil some potatoes, then throw them in the oven with everything else for 25 minutes and dinner is served!

Roasted Whole Mackerel with Cider and Mustard

Favourite foods are often associated with luxury or indulgence, but for me the finest eating fish is the gloriously frugal mackerel.

I love its flavour, texture and how easy it is to cook, everything about it is perfect!

I have recipes as diverse as Indian mackerel curry, Thai choo chee curry and devilled mackerel. Even smoked mackerel gets a look in getting used in recipes like smoked mackerel risotto and smoked mackerel salad.

The baked mackerel recipe is essentially a tray bake with potatoes, red onions with hints of mustard and cider.

Nothing could be easier than cooking this dish, all you need to do is parboil some potatoes and slice them.

Then all you have to do is chuck it all on a baking tray and into the oven it goes, 25 minutes later you have perfectly roasted mackerel and all of your sides!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use mackerel fillets?

Not really, the mackerel fillets cook far too quickly to roast in the oven in my opinion.

Do I have to use head on mackerel?

No, you can just use the body of the mackerel and remove the head and tail.

If you go to a fish monger they will be more than happy to do this for you, this does not have an impact on the cooking time.

What cider should I use?

Use a dry cider that you enjoy drinking, avoid any of the sweet flavoured ciders that are incredibly popular at the moment. They are lovely to drink but terrible for cooking in my opinion.

A note for any US visitors, cider refers to “booze” across most of the world, so this recipe uses what you guys call hard cider.

Do I have to use cider?

No, you could replace it with something like white wine or even a light beer.

If alcohol is the issue then use apple juice or grape juice and a squeeze of lemon juice, but make sure that neither of them are sweetened!

Serving Suggestions

I consider this baked mackerel recipe a complete meal and tend not to add anything else other than a nice side salad.

A simple green salad with a nice dressing is more than adequate. Although some crusty bread to mop up any leftover juices is always welcome!

If you want some greens with this recipe I would throw them into the oven when cooking the fish.

Everything from green beans to tenderstem broccoli and asparagus work really well.

Just toss them in a little oil and add them to the tray between 7 and 15 minutes before the cooking time is complete.

Equipment Used

I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I believe that it makes a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• Oven.
• 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
• 35cm or 14″ baking tray.
• Chopping board.
• Sharp kitchen knife.
• Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.