Fish

I love fish. I could eat fish every day of the week and not get tired of it one bit. And cooking it is so easy, so fast, it’s a shame not too many people choose to eat fish more often.

Especially in the summer when temperatures flare up, you want to cook something requiring minimal effort. Something that can benefit just from a bit of good olive oil, lemon juice, fresh aromatics and seasoning.

That is fish for you, and if you are fortunate enough to have a good fishmonger, sometimes you don’t even need to cook it at all. Salmon/mackerel/sea bass tartare anyone?

Next to salads and the occasional barbecue, fish makes the best summertime dinner for me. I particularly enjoy baked or grilled whole bream, fried red mullet and mackerel; here in the Netherlands it’s the North Sea mackerel, when I’m in Greece it’s of course the Mediterranean mackerel (kolios / κολιός).

The fish pictured in this post were cooked by my mom when I was in Greece in May. Small Mediterranean mackerel and tuna.

Both types of fish are nutritious, healthy, chock-full of omega 3 fatty acids—the good fat—and flavorful beyond description. Not particularly subtle, their flavor is not mellow but rather pungent, oily, fresh, fatty, almost meaty. They are unique and utterly scrumptious.

I always cook mackerel simple like this, seasoned with salt and pepper, a good drizzle of olive oil, some fresh parsley and lemon, and the tuna served with ladolemono (λαδολέμονο)—the famous Greek olive oil and lemon sauce for fish—and they never, ever fail to satisfy my appetite.

Greek Baked Mackerel (Kolios) with Olive Oil, Lemon and Parsley

This is Mediterranean mackerel (kolios in Greek) but feel free to use any other kind of mackerel.
You can also grill the mackerel (on a stove-top grill or in an outdoor barbecue) and they’ll be equally flavorsome.
You can ask your fishmonger to clean and gut the fish for you.
The best accompaniments to this type of fish are a Greek horiatiki salad, lots of crusty bread and some ouzo.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
12 fresh whole mackerel, cleaned, gutted and rinsed
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 lemons, sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

Special equipment: large baking tray, baking paper


Preparation
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.

Take your rinsed mackerel and if they are big, score them with a knife in the middle on both sides (as you see in the photos) so they cook more uniformly.

Line your baking tray with baking paper and place mackerel on top in one layer. Drizzle the fish (inside and out) with the olive oil and using your hands, cover the whole fish with it.
Season the fish with salt and black pepper inside and out (don’t add too much salt) and add the lemon slices to the tray. You can place the slices between the fish, cut them in half and place them inside the fish or position them under the fish.
Add the chopped parsley and place the baking tray on the middle rack of the preheated oven.
Cook mackerel for 20-25 minutes depending on their size. Be careful not to overcook otherwise they’ll become dry.

When ready, transfer them to a serving platter and serve them immediately.

Greek Baked Whole Tuna with Ladolemono (Greek Olive Oil and Lemon Sauce)

This is a type of Mediterranean tuna fished in the Aegean Sea in Greece. If you can’t find whole tuna, use tuna steaks or swordfish to serve with your ladolemono sauce.
The best accompaniments to this type of fish again are a Greek horiatiki salad, lots of crusty bread and some ouzo.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 whole tuna about 1.5 kg, cleaned, gutted and rinsed
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, sliced

for the ladolemono sauce
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Special equipment: large baking tray, baking paper


Preparation
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.

Take your rinsed tuna and score it down the middle (as in the photos) on both sides so it cooks evenly.

Line your baking tray with baking paper and place the tuna on top. Drizzle the fish (inside and out) with the olive oil and using your hands, cover the whole fish with it.
Season with salt and black pepper inside and out (don’t add too much salt) and put the lemon slices in the cavity of its belly.
Place the baking tray on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake tuna for about 45 minutes, depending on its size and how you prefer to eat your tuna. Midway through, turn the tuna around carefully using a large metal spatula so it cooks evenly on both sides. Be careful not to overcook it otherwise it will become tough and dry.

While the tuna is baking, prepare the ladolemono sauce. In a small bowl, add the lemon juice that you have freshly squeezed and while whisking with a small whisk, drizzle in the olive oil little-by-little. Whisk continuously until you have added all the oil and the sauce has emulsified. Add a little salt and black pepper to taste and set aside.

Note: Not all lemons have the same strong taste so check to see if your sauce needs a little more olive oil or lemon juice and adjust accordingly. The sauce mustn't be too oily or too pungent with lemon flavor.

Once ready, remove the fish from the oven and transfer to a platter to serve. Alternatively, you can first fillet it and then serve it on a platter. The tuna skin is not pleasant to eat so remember to remove it when filleting the tuna.

Serve tuna with the ladolemono sauce, drizzling it on top of each piece of fish.