Mackerel With Lemon Olive Oil and Tomatoes

By Melissa Clark

Mackerel With Lemon Olive Oil and Tomatoes
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(181)
Notes
Read community notes

Mackerel is a sustainable, velvety, sweet-tasting fish that deserves more attention than it usually gets. Here, the pale fillets are roasted on a bed of fragrant basil leaves with a lemon zest-infused olive oil, chopped olives and juicy cherry tomatoes. If you have a bottle of cold-pressed lemon olive oil on hand, you can use it here in place of making your own. If infusing your own oil, feel free to use either a regular lemon or a Meyer lemon. Leftover lemon oil is great on salads, tossed with vegetables, or drizzled over avocado toast.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Lemon Oil

    • ⅓cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon (save naked lemon for garnish)

    For the Fish

    • 6 to 8large basil leaves, plus more for garnish
    • 1½pounds Atlantic mackerel fillets, or use cod or black sea bass (tautog) if unavailable
    • Fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste
    • 1 to 2tablespoons lemon olive oil, more as needed
    • ¾cup olives, preferably a mix of green and black, pitted and halved, or chopped
    • 1cup halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

416 calories; 29 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 675 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the oil: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and lemon zest until you see the first tiny bubble appear on the side of the pan. Immediately turn off heat. You don’t want the mixture to simmer.

  2. Step 2

    Let infuse for at least 20 minutes (and preferably an hour) before using; you do not have to strain it. Oil can be made up to a month in advance. Store in a sealed jar at room temperature.

  3. Step 3

    When ready to prepare the fish, heat oven to 425 degrees. Place the basil leaves on a rimmed baking dish and arrange fish on top. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper, then drizzle the lemon oil over the fillets. Top with olives. Scatter tomatoes around the pan.

  4. Step 4

    Roast until the fish is just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes for thin fillets and up to 12 minutes for thick fillets.

  5. Step 5

    Cut naked lemon into wedges. Serve fish drizzled with more lemon oil, garnished with lemon wedges and torn basil leaves.

Ratings

5 out of 5
181 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Angela Sasso

I love Mackerel. I was dismayed at the negative comments on this fish in the article above. I live in the UK, so maybe it's easier to find it fresh at our fishmongers here than there. The only thing that would improve this recipe (and something I do often) is to roast some sliced potatoes and onions first in the pan with oil - when they are ready, lay the fish and other ingredients on top and finish cooking the fish. Divine.

Dave

I have a simple (dumb) question: when you say a 425 degree oven, are you assuming convection setting or non-convection? This question goes for any recipe I see here, which rarely if ever specifies.

Dave

According to my oven instructions, it doesn't matter. Just select 425 F. If you also select "bake," that will be the final temperature. If you select "convection bake," the final temperature will be 400 F. Supposedly the two are equivalent in baking. I haven't found any real benefit to the convection setting.

Suzanne F

Fish guy at my farmers' market doesn't bring mackerel, but this should work well with his bluefish--a little stronger than mackerel. Saturday's dinner is planned!

LydiaJean

Merged it with a recipe with roasted potatoes underneath

Reuel

We get mackerel fresh here in the Bay Area in California. It's always whole, I can't imagine the fishmonger filetting these things, too small. Mackerel is one of the oily fish, such as blue fish, herring, anchovy and sardine. It must be cooked and eaten fresh. Otherwise it starts to smell. Hence people's hesitancy. Once they have it really fresh, it's fabulous

Gaby

This was so easy and tasty.

Jason Kathleen

I used porgy in addition to of mackerel and prepared them both the exact same way. The mackerel was more meaty similar to the dark meat of poultry, while the porgy fillet was more delicate in texture and flavor. One of the guests of the dinner preferred the porgy, as she often prefers leaner lower iron foods. This is now my go to for preparing flaky fish fillets <12".

J Fischer

This was good! We made it with Spanish Mackerel and used green olives that were packed in garlic and salted lemon oil and they were perfect. I think this would also work well with Bluefish and with lamb as well.

Lulu

I loved the fish but the lemon oil is genius! I used the leftover oil on a chicken I roasted and it was not only delicious but perfumes my kitchen.

Erich Hayner

Would Saba be recommended for this technique?

margarett

Cooked this with mackerel (which I LOVE) skin up, 1/2 cooking time at 425 and 1/2 at HI boil to crisp the skin up a bit. Also mashed some of the cherry tomatoes on top of the herbs and under the fish. Worked well for me. Nice easy tasty dish that is easy to adjust to other herbs. The lemon oil keeps the mackerel for being too funky.

Robert

I made it with bluefish and with the sliced potatoes. I intended to half the recipe, but used a full recipes worth of the lemon oil

bjd

We substituted the cod because we already had it and intended to use it when I saw the article, not only delicious but s delight to the eyes in the presentation--the real star of this recipe is the virgin lemon olive oil.

LydiaJean

Merged it with a recipe with roasted potatoes underneath

EV emily

I served the fish/ lemon sauce over orzo pasta & steamed broccoli. A huge hit in my house!

dbeng

Loved it -- so easy. Never thought I'd like mackerel -- not "fishy" like I imagined it to be. Delightful.

Judy

I made this last night with black cod because my fishmonger rarely has mackerel. I thought it was spectacular and so easy. Can you use Spanish mackerel for this recipe?

Bogusnot

I'm pretty sure you can sub the Spanish version. I love mackerel (Spanish or otherwise) and fortunately Whole Foods frequently stocks it and they'll filet it for you while you shop.

Christer Whitworth

Mackerel is a fish that needs to be fresh. It does not travel well which I suspect is why you don't see it in the States that often. I grew up on the west coast of Sweden and it was widely available. A day old and it is great. It loses a lot of it's appeal if it goes even a few days beyond.

zitronencurry

Not a fan of mackerel, unless it's smoked. But I might try this with cod.

david shepherd

I'd suggest you should try this recipe as written with mackerel; cod is not quite the right fish to go with it. (Try a whole grilled mackerel as well--delicious.)

Flowergarden129

Perhaps try it with bluefish or kingfish? I think it probably needs a dark oily fish.

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