← Nouns Cooking · Korean

Ingredients

• 400 g whole mackerel, filleted (or 2 large fillets), pin bones removed
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp flour, for dusting the skin (optional)
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• ½ Lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. Pat the fillets dry and sprinkle both sides with salt. Leave in the fridge for 30 min to firm up the flesh, then pat away any moisture. Skip this if your mackerel is already salted.
2. Score the skin a couple of times and dust it lightly with flour, if using, to help it crisp.
3. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Lay the fish in skin side down and cook for 4–5 min, pressing gently at first, until the skin is deep golden and crisp.
4. Turn the fillets and cook for 2–3 min more, until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily.
5. Serve straight away with lemon, hot rice, kimchi and a bowl of doenjang jjigae.

Tips

• Some cooks soak mackerel in the cloudy water from rinsing rice for 10 min, which tames any fishy smell. Leave out the flour, or use rice flour, to keep it gluten-free.
• Open a window or use the extractor fan: mackerel smokes as it grills.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Korean Bapsang Beyond Kimchee FutureDish