Added on Thursday, August 27, 2009  Fish Post

Spanish Mackerel (Fish Boy Style)

Being a native of Wrightsville Beach, a commercial fisherman, and a chef, I have learned and experienced what seafood our area has to offer each season.

Some items are only here for a short time, and some species are only here a certain portion of the year, but there is no question about spanish mackerel often being readily available. 

One of my favorite and easiest ways to prepare spanish mackerel is to grill the whole fish, and this is a whole fish recipe. However, if you’re not a fan of whole fish, then you can get away with cooking fillets this way. Fillet fans, though, are encouraged to refer to my High Broiled Spanish in a past issue (available online at www.fishermanspost.com). 

Fish preparation:

Spanish Mackerel: the fish should be headed and gutted. Then gently make slices into the skin of the spanish. This is referred to as scoring. Be sure to pay close attention when scoring to make sure you don’t cut all the way to the bone. Once the spanish has been scored, then place the fish in a large pan for marinating.

Marinade preparation:

Juice from 2 lemons

your favorite BBQ sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Texas Pete

1 tablespoon dried thyme

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons soy

2 teaspoons teriyaki

Mix the marinade, and then cover the fish with it. The fish should marinate for at least one hour.

Once the fish has been properly marinated, pre-heat your grill to high. Once the grill is hot and smoking, oil the grates and place fish directly on the grates. 

Reduce your heat to low once the fish is on. Generally, I close the lid and do not flip the fish. 

Cooking times may var, but the spanish should take approximately 20 minutes. One way to help tell when the fish is ready is that you should see the fats from the fish in your score marks. 

Once the fish is ready, baste again with marinade and serve. 

You should enjoy this method, as me and my family often do. 

Eat and by local!

Chef Danny H.

Danny Hieronymus was born and raised in Wrightsville Beach into a commercial fishing family and has been catching fish throughout NC all his life.  He has also been cooking with his mother since he was 8 years old in the family restaurant. He can be reached at capefearcookin@yahoo.com.