Spicy Braised Mackerel with Potatoes
A Delicious and Flavorful Fish Stew, Perfectly Made!
Decided between mackerel and threadfin fish, I ended up choosing the mackerel that was on sale! I thought I had potatoes at home to make braised mackerel, but I was mistaken. Since I didn’t have radish, I substituted it with potatoes. If I hadn’t had potatoes either, I would have thickly sliced onions to line the bottom of the pot for the braised fish.
Main Ingredients
- 2 Mackerels
- 2 Potatoes
- 1/4 Onion
- 4 slices Ginger
- 1 Green chili pepper
- 1 Red chili pepper
- A handful of Scallions
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables for braising. Peel and cut the potatoes and onion into desired pieces. Slice the scallions diagonally. Thinly slice the ginger and diagonally slice the green and red chili peppers after removing the seeds.
Step 2
Lightly grease the bottom of a pot with cooking oil, and place the thickly sliced potatoes at the bottom. The mackerel was bought with the head and tail removed and cut in half. At home, I trimmed off the fins and washed them thoroughly. If you have time, soaking them in rice water for about 20 minutes is highly recommended to remove any fishy odor.
Step 3
Now, let’s make the delicious sauce! In a bowl, combine 3 Tbsp of Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), 3 Tbsp of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of rice wine (mirin), 1 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp of perilla oil, and a pinch of black pepper. Mix everything well. The sugar adds umami, and the perilla oil contributes a nutty aroma.
Step 4
Place the thoroughly washed mackerel pieces on top of the prepared potatoes in the pot. Generously spread the prepared sauce over the mackerel and potatoes. Add enough water to almost cover the ingredients. Top with the sliced ginger and chopped onion. This will be the base for your delicious braised mackerel with potatoes.
Step 5
To help eliminate any fishy smell, cook with the lid off, especially at the beginning. To ensure the mackerel cooks evenly and absorbs the flavors well, periodically spoon the broth over the top of the fish as the liquid reduces. Keep an eye on the heat to prevent burning.
Step 6
When the fish is almost cooked, add the roughly chopped scallions and let them simmer in the sauce. Finally, garnish with diagonally sliced green and red chili peppers to add color and a touch of spice. Your wonderful braised mackerel with potatoes is now complete! Enjoy it with a steaming bowl of rice.
