Simple oven-roasted Spanish Mackerel recipe, prepared Mediterranean-style with garlic, fresh herbs, and extra virgin olive oil. Add a side of Greek roasted potatoes or Greek lemon rice and some fresh salads to go along! I've got all sorts of ideas for you at the bottom of this post.
Working on this Spanish Mackerel recipe reminded me of childhood visits to Port Said’s Souk El Samak (fish market). The souk was basically an entire square of narrow streets lined with small seafood stands and bins upon bins of fresh fish.
Exploring the day’s catch, my dad and I would visit with several fishmongers before we made our decision. Our choice often landed on beautiful, large whole fish--similar options to snapper, trout, or -- which the fishmonger happily, and hurriedly, cleaned, gutted, and wrapped up in brown paper parcels.
Spanish Mackerel Recipe, the Mediterranean Way
Mom, a very practical cook, didn't fuss much with whole fish. If it came home in one piece, it often took on a little seasoning and a generous drizzle of olive oil. In the oven it went--whole.
I followed mom's no-fuss approach with this simple Spanish Mackerel recipe. Here, the fish is stuffed with crushed garlic, herbs and lemons. Then, roasted in foil with quality olive oil (I used our Greek Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil, it's rich flavor complimented the fish with all the herbs and garlic!)
And, because Spanish Mackerel is a flavorful, oily fish, a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice is the perfect finish to this whole roasted fish recipe.
What to serve with this Spanish Mackerel recipe
When I make this Spanish Mackerel recipe, I often prepare a side of Greek lemon rice and a zesty fresh salad like Greek Salad, Fattoush or this easy Mediterranean salad. This time, I also added a new Mediterranean potato salad with capers. When tomatoes are in season, I like to start this whole meal with a little Gazpacho soup!
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Mediterranean Oven Roasted Spanish Mackerel Recipe
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Easy all-star whole roasted Spanish Mackerel Recipe. Prepared Mediterranean-style with a stuffing of garlic, fresh herbs and lemons. Roasted in foil!
Ingredients
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt, more for later
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 ½ lb whole Spanish Mackerel, cleaned and gutted (but with head)
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Optional Sides to Serve
- 3-Ingredient Mediterranean salad recipe, or Fattoush salad recipe, Mediterranean Potato Salad or simple sliced garden veggies, salted and drizzled with olive oil
- Tahini sauce
- 1 Lebanese rice recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and set a roasting sheet pan inside to warm.
- Using a mortar and pestle, crush garlic with salt until smooth. Add coriander and cumin and continue crushing. Mix in parsley and dill.
- Pat the fish dry, inside and out. Remove the dark vein that runs along the back of the cavity, if it's still there. And if needed, run your knife along the cavity to open it up some more. Salt generously inside and on both sides outside, then place on a lightly oiled piece of foil that is large enough to enclose the fish.
- Stuff the fish cavity with lemon slices and the garlic and herb mixture you just prepared. Drizzle generously with olive oil.
- Fold the foil over the fish lengthwise, tightly closing the top seam to trap the steam. Place the foiled fish on top of the hot sheet pan and bake in the 350 degrees F heated-oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
- Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Serve immediately with suggested sides and salads (see ingredient list).
Notes
- If you plan to serve this fish with Lebanese rice, cook the rice first before you work on the fish and set aside covered and undistributed until ready to serve. It's a good idea to do as much of the prep for sides and salads as possible before you place the fish in the oven.
- Recommended for this Recipe Our Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil; organic coriander; organic cumin.
- SAVE! Try our Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle, or create your own 6-pack or 3-pack of our all-natural and organic spices!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Spanish mackerel recipe, Mediterranean seafood
*This post was republished with an updated recipe in May 2017.
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This was easy to make and absolutely delicious. I even ate it cold the next day and it was moist and flavorful. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
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Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
This was really good! Our mackerels are apparently distinctively smaller than they are where you live; one mackerel was half the weight of what you had listed here. I halved the rest of the recipe, but I did use more garlic than the recipe called for (I'm a garlic FIEND). I served it with your potato salad (with a bit more herbs than it called for) and it was gorgeous!
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Wonderful, Milou! Thanks for sharing!
Do we seal the foil all around, or just at the two ends?
Anu, you seal the two ends at the top to trap the steam.
This was absolutely delicious and easy to do! Thank you so much!
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Thanks so much, Olga! So glad
OMG this recipe tasted so good! I was surprised by the cumin and coriander in the paste, but it complimented the fish so well and was delicious! Will definitely make this again and check out the other recipes on your site, thank you!!
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Thanks so much, Lucy! Man, this is an oldie-but-goodie...time to update the photos!
Was scared about the gamey taste but after the first bite I realized that it is my new favorite fish.
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Awesome, Scott! So glad to hear it!
I heavily modified it because i didnt have much on hand. changed lemon slices for limes and only had dill cumin garlic and salt. HOLY MOLLY this was good. thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Freya!
Is it possible to use trout ?
Sure, Pheobe! That would work.
Beautiful. My local CSF will be delivering Spanish mackerel tomorrow and this is exactly what I was looking for. I have some lovely bright herbs coming up in my garden that will do this justice.
I’m thinking this foil packet could probably go on the grill as well? We’ll see. ?
Wonderful, Vera! Hope you enjoyed it!
Delicious recipe, will make again!
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Wonderful! Thank you for giving it a try
Suzy, love your site!
I got my very first Spanish mackerel from T&T here in Vancouver Canada. Wow. That is one beautiful fish! I didn’t have any coriander, but I did install a hammered length of lemon grass. I was thinking about a adding some black olive tapenade but no. A very good recipe here. Delicious.
I think black olives would be really good with this fish and will most probably give it a try at some future time.
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Thank you, Ralph! This is one of my older recipes...and come to think of it, the photos don't do it justice. But I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
What is the purpose of leaving the head on?
Hi there! This is just the way it is served in parts of the Mediterranean basin. If you prefer, you can certainly have the head removed.
The head is the best part. There's a lot of meat in there. Almost like a lobster tail. Try scarfing up a few at the cleaning doc and grilling them with garlic butter.
What Mackerel is called in Arabic/in Egypt in particular ?
Hi Jerry. Actually, it is called Mackerel there too as far as I remember.
This is really yummy looking. I think mackerel isn't cooked often enough; it's a delicious sustainable fish. And I love how you prepared it.
Thanks, Debi! Yes, it's a great fish!
What a beautiful way to prepare fish. I have it pinned to my Whole30 board so I can make it this weekend!
Awesome, Linda! Hope you enjoy it!
Beautiful! My husband has been on a whole-fish kick lately, and these flavors sound amazing together!
Hope you guys will give it a try!
Love mackerel, such a flavorful fish, your recipe looks wonderful!
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Yes, it's really flavorful! Thanks, Patty!
I love a whole roasted fish -- my family has been fishing and eating seafood for years, so this is in my sweet spot! Your photos are gorgeous!
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That's awesome, Lisa! Nothing better!
I found this recipe as I wanted to try mackerel without tomatoes. I just made it, it was delish, and really quick to make and cook too!
That's awesome, Tina! Glad you enjoyed it!
Whenever I research Mediterranean recipes, I seem to be almost inevitably lead to your blog, Suzy. You're awesome! This looks mackerel delicious!
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Steve, I'm glad you've found me! This mackerel is a favorite! Hope you give it a try!