NORDIC CEVICHE
We wanted to experience Norway as it’s shown on the postcards: camping, bread baking in the sand, collecting berries, and of course fishing. However, it’s not enough just to buy a fishing rod, get up early, and cast into the water.
The atmosphere in the morning, the crisp air, the calm was in itself an experience. To develop techniques with my daughter on which lure to use and where and how far to cast out was an exciting pastime, even though by the end we’d not caught a single fish.
A new attempt was necessary. This time by boat.
MACKEREL IS “PELAGIC”
which means a fish that swims in open waters. The mackerel keeps itself close to mountains, ones that lie under the water’s surface. They are relatively close to the surface but still under it.
As soon as the lure is in the water fish wriggle on the other end, and quite vigorously so. Well then, it does work.
Professional fishermen however do not trouble themselves with the average mackerel. For them mackerel is simply seen as bait to catch the “real” fish like cod, cusk, ling, and spined loach.
It’s not like we didn’t try to catch these fish as well! However, even by boat and at the correct time of day, we clearly did not fish at the right place during the right time.
When fish that were far too big for us snapped away the hard-earned mackerel on our hooks, managing not to get hooked themselves, we were soon quite happy to keep our mackerel.
MACKEREL ON THE BARBECUE
All those who fished before know full well how much better fresh fish tastes!
Pack the fish into a grill basket and put it on the barbecue. Flip and let it get crispy to your taste.
Grill at a rather high temperature, so the fish remains juicy inside.
Without barbecue:
Preheat oven at the maximum temperature, clean the mackerel, lay it on a grill, sprinkle with coarse salt, and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Put a cooking sheet underneath so the oven remains clean!
In the meantime, make and serve a suitable salad!
The kids also liked it! (Ok, we do admit: them having caught the fish themselves might have also played a part ;-)
NORDIC CEVICHE
With 34 mackerels, we fancied trying a different way to eat them.
It became the culinary highlight of the trip: ceviche made from mackerel!
This Peruvian dish, which is usually made with a white fish (pikeperch or cod), has now in Norway been made with mackerel! The meat is firm and through the high fat content tastes better than cod.
A delight. Please try it out!
