L’étouffé Mackerel

This fish dish from the Seychelles is very delicate and fresh, perfect for a hot summers day. My mum has been making this for years, and it wasn’t until recently that I tried it (I’m very very picky with fish….) and it was delicious. The ingredients used to give flavour create a great balance that make the dish hearty, yet light.

This specific recipe asks for mackerel, a meaty oily fish, if you can’t find mackerel try swordfish or any other white fish like cod, halibut, herring… - just note that the flakier the fish the harder it will be to keep it in one piece, just be as gentle as possible.

prep/cooking time: 30-35 minutes

Serves: 2-3 people

Ingredients

2 onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, diced finely 

3 tomatoes, diced 

1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

10 stalks of fresh thyme

2 filets of mackerel, cut into thirds

1/2 lemon, cut into quarters to squeeze when serving  

Spring onion greens, to garnish optional

Salt, pepper, oil

Method

1. In an oiled pot on medium heat add in onions, cook until they start to get golden brown.  Stir in the garlic and ginger, sweat for a few seconds or until they start to soften.

2. Add the tomatoes, parsley, and fresh thyme into the mix. Cook this scraping the bottom of the pot until the tomatoes start to release their juices, season with salt.  Place the pieces of fish on top of the mixture to steam.  Let the sauce underneath start to bubble, and then turn the heat down to the lowest setting, place a lid on the pot.  Cook for 20 minutes.

3. After 20 minutes, submerge the fish into the sauce, put the lid back on and cook for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon and spring onion.