Savor the Flavor: Saba Sizzles in Aromatic Garlic Parsley Butter
This simple fish recipe requires grilling mackerel until golden brown, then coating it in fragrant butter made with garlic and parsley. The aroma of garlic butter stimulates your appetite, while the addition of lemon gives it a rich yet refreshing flavor.
Ingredients (for 2 people)
Cooking time: approximately 20 minutes
- Mackerel fillets: 2 pieces
- Salt and pepper: a little each
- Flour: a suitable amount
- Lemon (sliced): a suitable amount
- Salad oil: a suitable amount
- Fragrant butter ingredients:
- Butter: 50g
- Parsley: a suitable amount
- Garlic: 1/2 clove
- Salt: 1/3 teaspoon
- Pepper: a little
Get ready
・Make a diagonal cut into the skin of the mackerel and cut it into two equal parts.
・Slice the lemon
How to make it
1. Cut the butter into 2cm cubes and place in a bowl to bring to room temperature. Finely chop the parsley and garlic.
2. Add the garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper to the butter in step 1 and mix well with a rubber spatula to make “fragrant butter.”
3. Sprinkle salt on the mackerel, leave it for a while, then wipe off the moisture. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides and coat with plain flour.
4. Add salad oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Cook the mackerel skin-side down. Once browned, flip it over and continue cooking.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of fragrant butter and the lemon slices, and when the butter has melted, mix well.
Tips for making fragrant butter
Parsley and garlic-packed “fragrant butter” is a versatile seasoning that can be used in various ways, such as sautéing fish and meat, spreading it on bread, using it in stir-fries, or mixing it with boiled vegetables. Parsley can be used either fresh or dried. It can be stored in a storage container in the refrigerator for about a week. If you want to freeze it, divide it into small portions, wrap it in plastic wrap, place it in a zip-seal bag, and store it in the freezer for about a month.
This time we used:
Freshly farmed mackerel fillets from Matsuura, Nagasaki Prefecture
Fresh mackerel caught at Matsuura Port in Nagasaki Prefecture is filleted into three pieces without salt.
About the chef
Tomoko Matsutake
Tomoko Matsutake is a chef. She runs “Fukakusa,” a cooking class and food event venue in Fukuoka City. As a food stylist, she also offers recipe suggestions and styling for many food-related companies.