Thursday, 7 July 2011

Mackerel Baked With Sage and Bacon

Mackerel Baked With Sage and Bacon (for 2)
Recipe with courtesy of Waitrose 


Ingredients
2 mackerel, de-boned into 4 fillets with all small bones removed. Cut each fillet into two lengthways. Skin is left on.
8 slices of rindless streaky bacon
16 fresh sage leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C, (428°F gas mark 7)

Plaster 2 sage leaves onto each fillet, then wrap bacon around it. A sage leaf should protrude from each side of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper and brush with a little olive oil.
Place the fish on a baking tray, skin-side up. (I sprayed the tray with non-stick spray.)   Bake for 15 minutes till the skin and bacon are crisp. 

I cooked this in the UK and my sage plants are in France, so I did use dry sage. Next time I cook this, I will make sure that I use fresh sage leaves. I also only had back bacon on hand but I think streaky would have been better.

We both enjoyed this dish and the bacon was a delicious addition to the flavour of the fish.
Enjoy.
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61 comments:

  1. Jane and Lance Hattatt7 July 2011 at 13:54

    Hello Diane:
    This all sounds, and we are sure tastes, absolutely delicious. We love Mackerel and the combination with sage and bacon would, we are sure be wonderful.

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  2. Mary Bergfeld7 July 2011 at 13:56

    I know I would enjoy this, Diane. It sounds delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  3. Diane7 July 2011 at 14:07

    Jane and Lance, this one is really worth trying if you like mackerel. It gave it a flavour that was quite different but really delicious. Diane

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  4. Diane7 July 2011 at 14:08

    Mary I am sure you would enjoy this, it was really very good. Take care. Diane

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  5. Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover7 July 2011 at 14:16

    This dish makes me mouth watering, look so delicious!

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  6. lena7 July 2011 at 14:32

    i wonder how does sage taste on fish? thanks for the inspiration!

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  7. Diane7 July 2011 at 15:12

    Sonia it is delicious and certainly worth trying. Diane

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  8. Diane7 July 2011 at 15:13

    Lena the sage and the bacon are a perfect combination with mackerel, it was very good. Diane

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  9. Craig7 July 2011 at 16:03

    That looks and sounds delicious. We've been on a tear with rainbow trout recently. I wonder if it would work with that?

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  10. Diane7 July 2011 at 16:14

    Craig I have no idea, but trout has a more delicate flavour so sage and bacon may drown the taste of the trout. Please let me know the result if you should try it out. We also love trout and it is one of the easiest fishes to de-bone. Diane

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  11. Jean7 July 2011 at 17:07

    This looks delicious and so simple, yet sophisticated too. Definitely one for us to try as we often see mackerel for sale and never quite know what to do with it.

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  12. Diane7 July 2011 at 17:18

    Jean we really enjoyed mackerel cooked like this, there is no doubt that I will cook it like this again. Hope you enjoy. Diane

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  13. Olga7 July 2011 at 17:22

    Excellent recipe. I'll have to resist the bacon, seeing as I've given up meat. You're always tempting me with food :)

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  14. Diane7 July 2011 at 17:29

    Olga is there not a substitute for bacon? I know there are many vegan substitutes for all sorts of things. Not being vegetarian I have never really looked for them. Diane

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  15. Rosaria Williams7 July 2011 at 17:48

    Now, that must have been quite tasty. Bet you can use the same method for trout, tilapia, or any delicate fish.

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  16. Rosaria Williams7 July 2011 at 17:50

    p.s. I can grow dill here that I was not able to grow in Southern Cal. Certain herbs are fussy. I have to purchase fresh basil, for instance, as it needs to grow in warmer temps. All this can frustrate a gardener like myself who likes to pop out on the deck and pinch out the herbs she wants.

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  17. Diane7 July 2011 at 17:52

    Rosaria I don't really know how it would work with other fish. I think mackerel has quite strong flavour and the sage and bacon work well with it. If you try it out on other fish please let me know how it goes. Diane

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  18. Diane7 July 2011 at 18:02

    Rosaria I agree it is so nice to have the herbs fresh from the garden. I find most things grow well here in France (well when we get rain!) I have not got the space for them in the UK, other than in pots, and somehow they do not seem to grow as well and I need to replace quite often. Diane

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  19. Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen7 July 2011 at 19:14

    I love the combination of fish and sage. So lovely.
    Sam

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  20. GaynorB7 July 2011 at 19:54

    Bacon and mackerel are both regular purchases for me, but I hadn't thought of putting them together before. Now I will!

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  21. Diane7 July 2011 at 20:23

    Sam try adding the bacon as well and I am sure you will enjoy. Diane

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  22. Diane7 July 2011 at 20:24

    GaynorB it is a really good combination I am sure you will enjoy it. Diane

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  23. Chubskulit Rose7 July 2011 at 20:43

    I love just any type of fish and the bacon is a real treat. I might try that one day, thanks for sharing Diane.

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  24. Diane7 July 2011 at 20:59

    chubskulit I am sure you would enjoy, it is an excellent dish. Diane

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  25. Joyful7 July 2011 at 21:14

    I've only ever had mackeral in a can, lol. This fresh mackeral looks wonderful. Have a great weekend!

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  26. Diane7 July 2011 at 21:24

    Joyful I am not sure that I had ever had fresh mackerel until we went to the UK!! You have a great weekend also. Diane

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  27. Marjie7 July 2011 at 22:23

    Oh, it sounds delicious! I love bacon!

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  28. Dianne8 July 2011 at 00:34

    Yum it looks superb - I must search out mackerel in our market - I don't remember seeing it before - maybe I could substitute. Ihe wrapping of bacon would add a wonderful flavour.

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  29. Deb from WhatsInMyAttic8 July 2011 at 03:25

    Sounds wonderful!

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  30. Diane8 July 2011 at 09:03

    Deb from WhatsInMyAttic, I thought it was pretty wonderful :-) Diane

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  31. Diane8 July 2011 at 09:04

    Marjie this is a dish I will make over and over we really enjoyed. Diane

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  32. Bo8 July 2011 at 09:07

    I've never had mackerel but this sounds delicious.

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  33. Diane8 July 2011 at 09:09

    Dianne I never saw fresh Mackerel in S.Africa so not sure if you will see it in Australia. It is a fish that needs to be eaten the same day it is caught, and the shops in the UK always have large supple as it is not expensive. It is quite an oily fish, so I think this dish really needs something with a slightly stronger flavour or the fish taste may be taken over completely by the sage and bacon. Worth looking around for something similar I would say. Diane

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  34. Diane8 July 2011 at 10:35

    Bo I am sure you could try this with any oily fish it was very good. Diane

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  35. LindyLouMac8 July 2011 at 14:21

    Might just try this sometime, thanks Diane.

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  36. Diane8 July 2011 at 14:29

    Linda I am sure you will enjoy, I know we did. Diane

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  37. Ramona Andresa8 July 2011 at 16:09

    Interesting. This seems easy to do. We might attempt cooking this one the soonest we get an oven. Thanks for the recipe! :)

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  38. Velva8 July 2011 at 16:18

    Bacon has a way of bringing so much flavor to a dish. Delicious. When you mentioned not having fresh sage handy. I thought wow, I have plenty of fresh sage. It is the one herb, that grows well in backyard.

    Great looking meal. Thanks for sharing.

    Velva

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  39. Diane8 July 2011 at 16:38

    Ramona Andresa, thank you for your comment and for following my blog. You are right this is a very simple dish to do, the hardest part is the de-boning which is not very difficult. Diane

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  40. Diane8 July 2011 at 16:40

    Velva basil grows in my French garden like a weed, I just have not got the room in the UK garden. As I am only there for winter it is not worth trying to get everything growing in pots. Diane

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  41. My Little Space8 July 2011 at 17:33

    Bravo Diane, what a way to serve the fish & meat together! I bet this is so flavourful. Thanks for sharing & hope you're enjoying your weekend.
    Blessings, Kristy

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  42. Diane8 July 2011 at 19:45

    Thanks Kristy, Hope you also have a good weekend. Diane

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  43. Pam8 July 2011 at 22:37

    Holy mackerel! I bet this is delicious! Sage on fish is new to me but it has to go together beautifully. I've never had fresh mackerel and have to find some to try this. Not sure what streaky bacon is though.

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  44. Diane9 July 2011 at 08:44

    Pam streaky bacon is bacon that is literally streaked with fat rather than the back bacon that I used which has less fat. Hope you can find some fresh mackerel and that you can try this out. Take care Diane

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  45. This is Belgium9 July 2011 at 12:50

    I must say that I do not like to mix fish and meat.. while everyone else in my family does...this one though looks wonderful and.. I have lots of sage in the garden .
    bon weekend

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  46. Diane9 July 2011 at 16:01

    Anni I have to agree I would normally never mix fish and meat, but this was an exceptionally tasty dish. Have a good weekend. Diane

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  47. tinyskillet9 July 2011 at 17:42

    I never thought to use sage with fish, but I am really into sage lately and my sage plant is huge right now! It sounds so good I'm going to try it this way! Thanks Diane!

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  48. Diane9 July 2011 at 22:15

    Lyndsey, I have three sage plants here in France they are all pretty big but one is just huge! Hope you enjoy the recipe it really is very good. Diane

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  49. Anonymous9 July 2011 at 23:24

    How lucky are you to spend time in France(I am about 20000+ km away from it)but oh if I win Loto I will also come to France for a bit:)
    Thank you for posting recepie for mackerel.Your combiantion is fantastic.I only recently discovered fusion of fish and meat.It was braised snapper with caramelized pork belly.In the beginning I was so sceptic( tastes we are thought stay in our head) , but I ate it and I loved it;)

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  50. Pame Recetas10 July 2011 at 00:57

    Dear Diane, What a delicious recipe, I will try ir for sure. Sorry you couldn't understand my last recipe, it's a very heavy soup made with poultry, beef, sausages of different types, plus vegetables , the soup is served appart from the food and it can be taken to table in a baked pumpkin

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  51. Diane10 July 2011 at 11:38

    Thanks Pamela, I thought that I commented that I liked the way it was served in the pumpkin, it was not (I don't think) a misunderstanding. Hope you enjoy the mackerel and bacon . Take care have a good Sunday Diane

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  52. Diane10 July 2011 at 11:40

    Dzoli, I would never have thought of serving meat and fish together but this was a perfect combination. Thank you so much for your visit, I hope one day you get your dream to come to France :-) Diane

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  53. Fifi 10 July 2011 at 17:44

    This recipe looks delicious. I have just discovered your blog and am now following. You have some lovely recipes posted too. Fifi

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  54. Diane10 July 2011 at 18:17

    Fifi B Thanks so much for your visit, great to 'meet' you. This recipe, to me, was exceptional we really did enjoy it. Hope you do to if you try it out. Thanks for following, see you soon :-) Diane

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  55. Dolly13 July 2011 at 21:15

    I would have to substitute tofu bacon, although I do love to eat fish. Mackerel is so good for you. Just catching up on emails now, after my visit home!

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  56. Diane13 July 2011 at 21:28

    Dolly I have never heard of tofu bacon - interesting. Diane

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  57. Dolly13 July 2011 at 21:35

    Yes, you can get all manner of tofu or soy products to replace meat ingredients: fake chicken fillets, mince, bacon, sausages etc. I enjoy them all :)

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  58. ♥peachkins♥14 July 2011 at 02:06

    looks really good!

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  59. Diane14 July 2011 at 07:57

    peachkins, thanks for your visit. If you like bacon and also fish I highly recommend this recipe, it is very good. Diane

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  60. magda15 July 2011 at 14:19

    Thank you verymuch for the delicious recipe!!!
    Amities

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  61. Diane15 July 2011 at 16:11

    Magda it is a pleasure, I hope that you enjoy. Diane

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