Hello everybody! It is really not that we have forgotten you...really not the case. We did cook but it was one of those weeks where NOTHING would actually work! We tried different things to cook and they all turned out...meh...So we decided that we were not gonna post our meh kind of recipes, but we will let them rest and come back to them when the time is right. Speaking of time, there is this expression in Greek that goes like this: "everything in its own time and the mackerel in August!"- "Κάθε πράγμα στον καιρό του και ο κολιός τον Αύγουστο!"- which pretty much means all in good time. We, as Greeks, have to use food in our sayings. And the mackerel is truly at its best in August, so the saying is accurate :) Come August in Greece and my dad will tell my mom at least once a week to make Stratoula's fish. Stratoula is Kostas' mother and the fish is of course mackerel. She is a great cook and she cooks many different things very well, however for my family, her signature dish is this fish. And it truly is delicious!
Mackerel is a fatty type of fish with lots of Omega-3 and very good for you. Now put it in this rich tomato sauce with the onions and garlic and it becomes so delicious that I lick my fingers every time I eat it. We eat it with bread, and it needs to be dipped in the tomato sauce that has absorbed all the flavours from the fish and has become so yummy! It is not August here, but I think this is the season for mackerel here because I found it fresh and decided to cook this dish for you. Please if you find mackerel do keep the head when you cook it and then you can remove it, or if you don't like your meal looking at you, you can always discard the head but do at least keep it intact and not fillet it, since it is the bones and the head that give the taste to the dish and make the best broth. We hope you enjoy Stratoula's fish. We sure will!
Kali Oreksi and remember mackerel in August :)
Dia, Kostas, Tony
Mackerel is a fatty type of fish with lots of Omega-3 and very good for you. Now put it in this rich tomato sauce with the onions and garlic and it becomes so delicious that I lick my fingers every time I eat it. We eat it with bread, and it needs to be dipped in the tomato sauce that has absorbed all the flavours from the fish and has become so yummy! It is not August here, but I think this is the season for mackerel here because I found it fresh and decided to cook this dish for you. Please if you find mackerel do keep the head when you cook it and then you can remove it, or if you don't like your meal looking at you, you can always discard the head but do at least keep it intact and not fillet it, since it is the bones and the head that give the taste to the dish and make the best broth. We hope you enjoy Stratoula's fish. We sure will!
Kali Oreksi and remember mackerel in August :)
Dia, Kostas, Tony
Stratoula's Mackerel
Ingredients for 2 people:
- 520g (about 2 pieces) mackerels whole and gutted
- 160g onions
- 10g garlic
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- 190g tomato sauce
- 340ml water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp green chilly finely chopped (optional)
