Mackerel in the Sound

Husband is getting good at this fishing thing.

Mackerel are in the sound, and we now have a freezer full of them. The season for them is short, so I’m glad to make the most of them. The day gets to a certain point and I can see him checking the tide tables. Next thing he’s off to Armadale Pier with his fishing rod and a bucket, and a few hours later he’s home again with it full of fish.

Yesterday he caught over thirty mackerel.

We cooked the first few batches of them on the fire-pit, roasting them until their juices spat on the hot coals and the air filled with fragrant smoke. We ate what we could and stripped the remaining fillets, freezing the flesh into bags for mackerel pâté and other uses.

The last thirty we filleted, and packed separated by layers of greaseproof paper to stop them freezing together. We will flour, season and pan-fry or grill most of these over the coming months.

Many have gone to friends and neighbours, and the rest will sustain us through the rest of the year.

I need to start smoking and canning these. I have such amazing memories of an Alaskan friend Rene’s jars of home smoked salmon, some of the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. I’m sure that mackerel would lend itself to the same treatment.

It’s on the project list!