Mackerel Tagine

Mackerel is not a type of fish I usually eat, let alone cook it. To make my debut in cooking the fish interesting, I opted for a tagine which is one of my favorite dishes that I am always comfortable to both eat and cook with. The recipe of this mackerel tagine is from bbc goodfood magazine (August issue)..not only it's simple to make but also it takes a little time to get everything done nicely.

As for a result, In my own opinion,I think it tasted a bit like Thai canned sardine/mackerel tom yum but less sour and sort of stir-fried version which has just a little sauce along..not a soup type. Anyway, it's oddly nice for my experience on tagine and top of everything, my husband liked it!

Ingredient (Serves 2)


2-3 tbsp olive oil
½ red pepper, chopped
1 inch/2.5cm piece of fresh ginger
4 cherry tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp ras-el-hanout spice mixture
1 large mackerel, weighing about 12oz/350g, gutted and chopped into 2inch/5cm thick steaks ( I used fillets )
A small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
A handful of black olives

Half a lemon to squeeze over

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the pepper, ginger, tomatoes, garlic and onion and fry gently for 4-5 minutes, then add 1 tsp of the ras-el-hanout spice mixture.


Add the chunks of the mackerel, cover with water and leave to simmer for 7-8 minutes.

Before serving, season with plenty of salt, then add the coriander and olives. Taste and squeeze in enough lemon juice to brighten the flavours.