Perfect barbecued mackerel
Now is a fabulous time to eat mackerel, an easy to prepare fish which also happens to be extremely good for us

Barbecued mackerel with a spicy coating
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, crushed Grated zest and juice of half a lemon 1tsp ground cumin 1tsp Picante Pimentón (hot paprika) 1tbsp olive oil 2 whole fresh mackerel, gutted and cleaned
Method
Light the barbecue about 45 minutes before you want to start cooking and wait for the flames to die down. Mix the garlic, lemon zest and juice, cumin, paprika, olive oil and some salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour into a shallow dish.
Using a sharp knife, make three slashes on each side of the fish, cutting through to the bone. Lay it in the dish and rub both sides with the spice mixture, ensuring that it goes into the slashes to coat thoroughly.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Place the fish on the barbecue rack or under the grill and cook for 5–6 minutes on each side, or until the flesh is firm and opaque and the skin is charred.
Serve garnished with freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and some lemon wedges, and with a salad of cherry tomatoes and sliced red onion.
Mark Price is managing director of Waitrose (ask_mark@waitrose.co.uk)
* For more recipes like this every week, subscribe and save
Bringing the quintessential English rural idle to life via interiors, food and drink, property and more Country Life’s travel content offers a window into the stunning scenery, imposing stately homes and quaint villages which make the UK’s countryside some of the most visited in the world.
-
'I followed a lorry for miles just so I could ask the driver if I could buy his pot': How Beth Tarling put together her dream terracotta pot collection
Ordinary terracotta flowerpots have been made in their millions and yet, as collector Beth Tarling tells Tiffany Daneff, there is very little on record about them. Photographs by Mark Bolton.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Country Life's Quiz of the Day, 7 February 2025: 10 head-scratchers to take you into the weekend
Guess the house price, remember the stuff you learned at school and take wild stabs in the dark. You'll love it.
By Toby Keel Published