Turkish cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Stuffed Mackerel

Mackerel is carefully deboned, then its skin is stuffed with pine nuts, currants and cinnamon, breaded and fried until golden.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 4 mackerel (cleaned, about 300 g each)
• 2 onions
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 3 tbsp currants (or raisins)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 2 eggs
• 100 g breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp flour
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Gut the mackerel, leaving the heads on, then tap the fish all over from tail to head with the back of a knife blade until the flesh noticeably loosens from the skin.
2. Break the backbone at the base of the head and carefully pull out the bone together with the flesh, so the skin remains behind as an intact tube.
3. Sauté the finely diced onions in 3 tbsp olive oil for 8 minutes until translucent, add the pine nuts, currants and cinnamon, and toast for 2 minutes more until the pine nuts are light brown.
4. Remove any remaining bones from the extracted fish flesh, flake it, fry it in with the onion mixture for 5 minutes, season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley, and let it cool completely.
5. Loosely fill the skins until the fish regain their original shape, then coat them one after another in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
6. Fry in the remaining olive oil over medium heat for 4–5 minutes per side until golden brown, let rest briefly, cut into finger-thick slices and serve with lemon wedges.