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Portugal · Spanish Mackerel

Portuguese Grilled Mackerel with Green Sauce

Cavala Grelhada com Molho Verde

In the fishing town of Sesimbra, mackerel goes straight from the boat to the charcoal with nothing but coarse salt, then gets a fresh green sauce of parsley, garlic and vinegar.

  • Prep 15 min + 30 min salting
  • Cook 10 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: Kernow Skies · CC BY-SA 3.0
Served with: Portuguese Punched Potatoes ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the molho verde

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Salt the fish. Cut 2 slashes on each side of the fish and sprinkle them all over with coarse salt. Leave 30 minutes in the fridge; this firms the flesh.
  2. Make the molho verde. Stir the parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together. Let it sit while the grill heats.
  3. Heat the grill. Get the charcoal hot and the grates clean and oiled. Brush off any loose salt and rub the fish lightly with oil.
  4. Grill. Grill 4–5 minutes per side for whole fish (3 minutes per side for fillets, skin side first) until the skin is blistered and the flesh is opaque at the bone.
  5. Serve. Spoon the molho verde over the hot fish and serve with batatas a murro.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Portugal

Portuguese Punched Potatoes

Batatas a Murro

Small potatoes roasted in their skins on a bed of coarse salt, then punched open with a fist and drowned in garlicky olive oil. The classic partner for grilled cod and sardines.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 50 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 lb (900 g) small potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
  • 1 cup coarse sea salt
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley

How to make it

  1. Roast on salt. Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Spread the salt in a baking dish, set the wet potatoes on top and roast 40–50 minutes until tender inside and crisp-skinned.
  2. Punch. Brush off the salt. Wrap a potato in a clean kitchen towel and give it a firm punch with your fist (or press with the bottom of a pan) so it cracks open but stays in one piece.
  3. Garlic oil. Warm the olive oil and garlic in a small pan over low heat 3–4 minutes until the garlic just turns pale gold.
  4. Dress. Pour the hot garlic oil over the potatoes and scatter the parsley on top.

Photo: Adriao · CC BY-SA 2.5

More ways to cook Spanish Mackerel

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Esmeraldas, EcuadorEcuadorian Coconut Fish Encocado
Gros Islet, St. LuciaSt. Lucian Creole Fish
Essaouira, MoroccoMoroccan Chermoula Grilled Mackerel