Grilled Mackerel Fish Sauce
Aperçu
Whole mackerel is seasoned and grilled, then folded into a fried pepper and onion sauce. It is a Nigerian everyday dish, quick enough for a weeknight and substantial enough to stand as the main event, usually served with plantain, yam or rice. The structure is the familiar Nigerian one: tatashe, the sweet red bell pepper that provides colour and body, and scotch bonnet, which provides the heat, fried down in oil with onion until the raw edge is gone. What makes this version specific is that the fish is grilled separately rather than stewed in the sauce. Grilling firms mackerel up and gives it colour and a smoky edge, and folding it in at the very end keeps it in recognisable pieces instead of breaking it apart through a long cook. Mackerel is an oily fish, which is why it suits this treatment. It holds together under direct heat, it does not dry out the way a lean white fish would, and its strong flavour stands up to scotch bonnet and Cameroon pepper rather than disappearing under them. Cameroon pepper, dried, ground scotch bonnet, is the marker of West African rather than generic pepper cooking here. The source's weight-loss framing has not been carried across.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Clean the fish thoroughly and cut off the heads. Pat dry with kitchen paper, surface water stops the seasoning sticking and stops the skin colouring.
- 2
Combine the adobo, curry powder, dried garlic, dried ginger, Cameroon pepper and fish seasoning in a bowl with the lemon juice and a little oil or water to loosen it.
- 3
Spread the marinade evenly over both sides of the fish.
- 4
Grill on a baking tray at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes, or in an air fryer, until cooked through and lightly charred.
- 5
While the fish grills, cook plantain in a separate pot if you are serving it.
- 6
Chop the onions, red bell peppers and scotch bonnets.
- 7
Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the onions over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened.
- 8
Put in the chopped peppers and fry over low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the raw taste is gone and the sauce has thickened.
- 9
Season with the seasoning powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes.
- 10
Fold the grilled fish through the sauce, taking care to keep the pieces intact. Take the pan off the heat, garnish with spring onions and serve.
Notes de l’Africook
Notes personnelles de Sarah- Dry the fish before it is seasoned. Wet skin will not take colour under the grill however hot it is.
- Grill the fish separately and fold it in at the end. Stewing it in the sauce breaks it up and loses the point of grilling.
- Fry the peppers until the raw taste has gone. Underfried pepper sauce tastes sharp and thin, and no amount of seasoning fixes it.
- Cameroon pepper is dried ground scotch bonnet and is not the same as chilli flakes. It is worth seeking out at an African grocer.
- Mackerel is oily enough to take direct heat well. Titus mackerel is the usual choice in Nigerian kitchens and is widely sold frozen.
- Boiled plantain, yam or plain white rice all work. The sauce is rich and wants a plain starch beside it.
Questions fréquentes
What is Cameroon pepper?
Dried scotch bonnet peppers, ground to a dark powder. It is used widely in Nigerian and Cameroonian cooking and gives both heat and a distinctive smoky depth that fresh chilli does not. It is considerably hotter than paprika or chilli flakes, so treat the quantities as a starting point. African grocers stock it, and it keeps well in a sealed jar away from light.
Why grill the fish instead of cooking it in the sauce?
Two reasons. Grilling firms the flesh and adds colour and a smoky edge that stewing cannot produce, and it means the fish only meets the sauce at the very end, so it stays in recognisable pieces. Fish cooked through a long simmer tends to fall apart into the sauce. The trade-off is an extra pan, which is why this is often done in the oven or an air fryer while the sauce cooks on the hob.
Can I use a different fish?
Any firm oily fish will work, titus mackerel is the usual choice, but horse mackerel, sardines and tilapia are all used. Oily fish suit this best because they stay moist under direct heat and their flavour holds up against scotch bonnet and Cameroon pepper. Lean white fish such as cod tend to dry out on the grill and get lost in the sauce.
What is it served with?
Boiled plantain is the most common pairing and is what the source cooks alongside it. Boiled yam, white rice, or any plain swallow all work equally well. The sauce is rich and heavily peppered, so it wants a plain starch beside it rather than another strongly flavoured dish. It also keeps well and is often eaten the next day.
Avis
Soyez le premier à noter cette recette
Vous l’avez cuisinée ? Votre note aide la personne suivante à se décider.
Aucun avis sur cette recette pour le moment. Si vous l’avez cuisinée, le vôtre serait le premier.
Vous Aimerez Aussi
Voir toutes les recettes Nigeria →
Edo Black Soup
Nigerian Fisherman Soup
Igbo Yam Porridge
