Grilled Mackerel over Coals

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather all your ingredients. Mackerel is cheap and popular, and grilled over coals it comes out delicious enough to please even the pickiest eater. Use fresh (unfrozen) fish, preferably larger ones. If all you have is frozen, no problem — just thaw it properly: move it from the freezer to the fridge for about 7 hours, then finish thawing at room temperature.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the mackerel well, gut it, and be sure to remove the gills — leave them in and the fish will taste bitter.

3. Step 3:

   

   With a very sharp knife, make a few diagonal slashes in the skin. This helps the fish marinate better and cook evenly.

4. Step 4:

   

   We only need the lemon juice for the marinade, so you could use bottled juice. If you're juicing the lemon yourself, rinse it in very hot water first — it'll release more juice.

5. Step 5:

   

   Drizzle the fish with vegetable oil. Any kind works, from budget sunflower to fancy olive — but since it'll be exposed to high heat, a refined oil is best.

6. Step 6:

   

   Salt the fish.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add pepper. At this point you can add any other spices and seasonings you like — Provençal herbs, dried or fresh thyme, garlic.

8. Step 8:

   

   Let the fish marinate for a while — anywhere from 15 minutes to a full day.

9. Step 9:

   

   Meanwhile, get a fire going in the grill. For tasty, wholesome results, use good hardwood — birch is ideal — not scrap boards for your coals.

10. Step 10:

    

    Wait until the wood has burned down to glowing coals.

11. Step 11:

    

    Set a grill grate over the coals and lay the mackerel on it. The fish cooks fairly fast, so flip it every 5–7 minutes so it doesn't burn and cooks evenly.

12. Step 12:

    

    You may need to flip it 2–3 times — keep going until the mackerel is fully cooked through.

13. Step 13:

    

    And there you have it — our fragrant, golden fish is ready. Enjoy!