Mackerel saramură

Name: Mackerel saramură
Ingredients: 4 small mackerel; 15 ml oil; 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt; 3/4 teaspoon ground pepper; 2 red pointed peppers; 2 tomatoes; 4 garlic cloves (12 g); 500 ml water; 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika; 30 ml lemon juice; 15 g fresh parsley

Fish - Mackerel saramură by Dumitrana L. - Recipia

Mackerel saramură, a Romanian dish of grilled fish served in a light broth, starts with whole mackerel grilled until the skin is browned, then left for ten minutes in the broth with tomatoes and peppers. The broth brings roasted red pointed peppers and tomatoes, garlic and lemon alongside the browned fish; it stays thin, spicy and tangy. I choose fish of a similar size because they grill more evenly. Preparation: 20 minutes. Cooking: 24 minutes. Rest: 10 minutes. Total time: 54 minutes. Servings: 4. About 420 kcal and 28 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

4 small mackerel
15 ml oil
1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 red pointed peppers
2 tomatoes
4 garlic cloves (12 g)
500 ml water
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
30 ml lemon juice
15 g fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Gut the mackerel, keeping the heads on, then pat them dry well with paper towels. Brush the fish with 15 ml of oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. 2. Grill them on a barbecue or in a grill pan for 10 minutes in total, turning them halfway through, until the flesh near the backbone turns opaque. Cover and keep warm. 3. Roast the red pointed peppers and tomatoes on a hot griddle for 10 minutes, turning them now and then, until the skins are blackened in places. 4. Bring 500 ml of water to a boil. Add the chopped garlic, the peppers and tomatoes cut into strips, the hot paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and the lemon juice. Boil over high heat for 4 minutes, then stir in the chopped parsley. 5. Put the fish in a bowl and pour the broth over them. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Store leftover fish in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days, though the flesh softens as it sits in the broth. Choose mackerel with shiny skin and a clean smell; larger fish need more time on the grill. Very juicy tomatoes can thin the broth, so let their juices drain off after roasting. For me, the dish falls somewhere between grilled fish with garlic sauce and a quick soup, and polenta goes well alongside it. For more servings, keep to one fish and half a red pointed pepper per person.