AI-generated image
Maquereaux au vin blanc
Maquereaux au vin blanc: Breton mackerel fillets cooked in a hot white-wine and vinegar marinade, served cold
In Brittany and Normandy, mackerel in white wine is a summer starter and picnic dish, made when the boats come in heavy with silver fish in June and July; cafés serve it cold with bread and butter. Fillets are laid in a dish and a hot marinade of white wine, vinegar, carrot, onion, coriander seed and bay is poured over to cook them gently, then they chill for a day. Oily fish, high in protein and suitable as part of a balanced diet; serve with a green salad or a few boiled new potatoes. About 300 kcal and 4 g carbohydrate per portion. It cooks with wine, which boils for 5 minutes; for an alcohol-free version use vegetable stock and add 2 extra tablespoons of vinegar. The usual mistake is using fish that is not very fresh: the eyes should be bright and the flesh firm. Chef's tip: check the thickest fillet after the hot marinade; if it is not opaque, simmer the dish on the hob for 2 minutes.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 8 very fresh mackerel fillets, pin-bonedfrom 4 fish
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup dry white wineor vegetable stock
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 carrotthinly sliced
- 2 shallotssliced into rings
- ½ lemonthinly sliced
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp sugar or sweetener (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Lay the 8 very fresh mackerel fillets, pin-boned fillets skin side up in a single layer in a shallow flameproof dish and sprinkle with the ½ tsp salt.
3 minStep 2: In a saucepan, bring the 1 cup dry white wine, ½ cup white wine vinegar, ½ cup water, 1 carrot, 2 shallots, ½ lemon, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 2 whole cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 tsp sugar or sweetener if using to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
8 minStep 3: Pour the boiling marinade over the fish so it is just covered. The fillets will turn opaque as they sit.
1 minStep 4: After 5 minutes check the thickest fillet: it should be opaque and flake at the centre. If not, set the dish over a low heat for 2 minutes at a bare simmer.
5 minStep 5: Cool, cover and chill for at least 12 hours, ideally 24. Serve cold with the vegetables and some marinade spooned over; eat within 3 days.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does maquereaux au vin blanc take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dry white wine?
- Stock with 1 tsp white wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).
- What can I use instead of white wine vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Singapore chilli crab
Chilli crab was first sold from a pushcart on the Kallang river in the 1950s and is now the dish visitors queue for along Singapore's East Coast seafood strip. Big mud crabs are cut up, wok-fried and simmered in a thick, sweet, tangy and gently hot sauce of chilli, tomato and garlic, which is then silked with beaten egg. Everyone eats with their hands and mops up the sauce with fried or steamed mantou buns. It is a weekend or celebration meal, messy and loud. Buy crabs live or freshly cooked the same day from a fishmonger you trust. Discard any live crab that doesn't move, smells of ammonia or has a cracked, leaking shell. The common mistake is boiling the sauce after adding the egg, which scrambles it into lumps; pour it in a thin stream over a low heat. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger to clean and quarter the crab for you, and crack each claw lightly with the back of a cleaver so the sauce soaks in.
Singaporean
Chraime
Friday night in Moroccan and Libyan Jewish homes, from Casablanca to Tripoli and now Paris and Tel Aviv, often begins with a plate of chraime before the main course. Thick fish steaks simmer in a brick-red sauce built from a frightening amount of garlic, sweet and hot paprika, chilli, caraway and cumin, loosened with oil and a squeeze of lemon. It is spicy, garlicky and very savoury, and the oily sauce begs to be mopped up with challah or other good bread. It is also eaten cold the next day. Chef's tip: cook the spices in the oil over a low heat until they smell toasty but not dark; burnt paprika tastes acrid and you cannot rescue it.
Moroccan
Lemon garlic baked salmon
The easiest way to cook salmon perfectly: a hot oven, a quick lemon-garlic butter and 12 minutes. Serve with new potatoes and greens, or flake it over rice.