This baked mackerel stuffed with garlic and lemon and served with a crunchy salad and flatbreads is the perfect recipe to impress this festive season. Simply roasted mackerel is a light and healthy main dish!
I've got the best festive dinner party recipe for you! It's so impressive and even looks Christmassy.
Click here to pin this baked mackerel recipe!
9 days until Christmas!!
I am so excited. I've always been Christmas obsessed. When I was a kid I would cry at the end of Christmas day because I couldn't bear the thought of it being over for another year.
I just love everything about it. Spending time with family, the music, the presents, the games and of course the food!
As much as I love Christmas day food I'm also obsessed with all the pre-Christmas food. The party food like these chipotle cheese twists or stuffed dough balls or the dinner party food like this baked mackerel.
There is something so impressive about serving up a whole fish at a dinner party. It just looks so amazing especially when it's stuffed with lemon slices and garlic and scattered with an incredible herb oil.
As much as I love the whole roasted mackerel I think the addition of the salad and flatbreads really takes this dish to another level.
It's so fresh I just love it. The salad is based on a classic Turkish spoon salad which is one we make a lot because it goes with so many different things.
It even looks pretty festive with all that red and green so perfect for a Christmas spread!
Baked Whole Mackerel with Salad & Flatbreads Ingredients:
- Garlic, Salt & Lemon: Stuff the mackerel with these ingredients and you're pretty much guaranteed incredible flavour. Extra lemons are needed in this butternut squash pasta
- Parsley, Olive Oil & Chilli: These are chopped and mixed together then drizzled over the fish before baking. Use leftover parsley in this vegetable pie
- Red Onion, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Red Pepper, Mint, Lemon, Pomegranate Molasses & Walnuts: Go into making the most amazing crunchy and fresh salad to go on the side of your baked mackerel
- Flatbreads: You can use store bought or make your own, we use this flatbread recipe and it always turns out great
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Whole Roast Mackerel Instructions:
- Bake the fish: Stuff the cavity of the fish with garlic cloves, salt and lemon slices. Mix together the parsley, olive oil and chilli and drizzle over the fish. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Make the salad: Chop everything and place in a bowl with all the other ingredients apart from the walnuts.
- Serve: Place a flatbread, whole mackerel and a scoop of salad onto a plate and serve with yoghurt.
Equipment you need to make this recipe...
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Roasted Mackerel Variations:
- Use different herbs: I went to town with parsley in this recipe because I really wanted that herby flavour but if you prefer then you could use coriander or another leafy herb
- Try a different fish: I absolutely adore mackerel but it does have quite a strong flavour and I know not everyone loves it so if you prefer you could totally go for a different fish
- Use mackerel fillets instead: If you're not a fan of using the whole fish then try using fillets instead. Just spread the lemon and garlic around the fillets and drizzle with the herb oil
Is baked mackerel good for you?
This recipe is so healthy! The mackerel is full of protein and omega-3 plus plenty of other vitamins and minerals and is even better served with this crunchy and fresh salad.
What to serve with roasted mackerel?
I served this mackerel with a gorgeous chopped salad and flatbreads to go down the Mediterranean route but you could try it with some new potatoes or a green salad if you prefer.
Want more? Try these other fish recipes!
- Jalapeno Popper Fish Cakes
- Salmon Tacos with Quick Pickled Red Onion
- Salmon Yoghurt Curry
- One Pot Fish Stew with White Beans
- Fish Taco Salad Bowls
- Sheet Pan Fish Tacos with Peppers
Baked Mackerel with Salad & Flatbreads
Ingredients
- 2 Whole Mackerel gutted
- 4 cloves Garlic peeled
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
- 1 Lemon sliced into rounds
- 5 g Parsley finely chopped
- 50 ml Olive Oil
- 1 Red Chilli finely chopped
For the Salad
- ½ Red Onion finely chopped
- 75 g Cherry Tomatoes quartered
- ¼ Cucumber chopped
- ½ Red Pepper finely chopped
- 1 handful Parsley chopped
- Small bunch Mint Leaves chopped
- ½ Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Pomegranate Molasses
- ½ tablespoon Olive Oil
- 20 g Walnuts chopped
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven for 200°C/400°F. Place the mackerel on a baking sheet. Stuff the cavity of each mackerel with the lemon slices, garlic and a sprinkling of salt. Mix together the olive oil, parsley and chilli and drizzle over the fish. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl apart from the walnuts, season to taste. Leave to sit while you wait for the mackerel to cook. Serve with a whole baked mackerel and flatbread topped with the walnuts.
Notes
Like the look of this recipe? Make sure you pin it for later!
Emma says
Mackerel is my absolute favourite fish. This looks delicious!
Andrea Metlika says
This looks absolutely gorgeous!
krissy says
Mackerel is so good! This is an amazingly healthy yet full of flavor meal! The presentation is beautiful and every one enjoyed it!
MARISA says
I'm so impressed with how gorgeous you make this mackerel look! I don't eat it often enough but it's so good for us!
Tracy says
Wow you're so right, there is something impressive about serving a whole fish for dinner. I've always been so intimidated by it, but you're giving me some courage!
Kam says
Mmmmm, I love mackerel 🙂