Cook your Catch – Miso King Mackerel
Eugene L. 12.21.23
The king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) is one of the top three targeted fish from the piers on the Emerald Coast. Capable of easily growing over 60 pounds they are one of the fastest swimming fish in the gulf. Known for their drag-screaming runs, they put up a great fight on rod and reel. So sport-wise they are top tier, but when it comes to their table fair quality not so much. As a mackerel, kingfish have an oilier meat that many call a bit fishy. The meat is pink, and pretty firm when cooked. I personally enjoy it grilled, fried, or smoked, but generally do not recommend freezing unless you only plan on smoking the meat. Today I’m using a couple of cuts of it to make Miso King Mackerel, which is based on Japanese Miso Cod. A sweet and savory recipe that is relatively easy to make at home but feels like fine dining.
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As usual, I am starting off with a gutted fish, for the best meat quality. A gutted fish will stay good for a lot longer than a fish with the guts still inside. I took a couple of steaks off the front end of this king mackerel this time, but if you aren’t just taking the head off like you normally would.
Trace the edge of the fillets along the fins of the king mackerel, and make sure to make a cut around the spine over at the tail as well.
Run the knife at a very low angle along the bones of the king mackerel till you hit the spine. Lift the fillet slightly as you go to keep it clear of the cutting edge of the knife. Once you reach the spine of the kingfish, stop and work the same way from the other side. Once that’s done work your way over the spine making sure to not overshoot and cut into the fillet.
Repeat these steps for the other side of the mackerel, this finishes the filleting of the king. Now it’s time to portion it out. I recommend cutting the fillets into maybe hand-wide pieces that are more reasonable to break down further in the kitchen.
Starting with a big chunk of king mackerel I break it down into two loins, a back and belly loin. Just run the knife along the center line of the fillet to cut through the connective tissue and skin. Trim off the bones as you go.
With my two pieces of king mackerel, I leave the skin on but trim off the bloodline. You don’t have to do this but the bloodline is a bit stronger tasting. Now that the king mackerel is ready its time to start prepping the marinade. I do want to say this recipe takes a long time to marinate, so plan ahead before you start.
Cook your Catch – Miso King Mackerel
Miso King Mackerel Ingredients
- Boneless Skin-On King Mackerel Loins
- Shiro(White) Miso
- Salt
- Sake
- Mirin
- Sugar
Liberally salt the pieces of king mackerel with either kosher salt or sea salt, and put aside for 30 minutes while you prep other ingredients. The salt will help draw out excess water from the meat.
Put 4 tbsp of Shiro Miso, 2 tbsp of Sake, 2 tbsp of Mirin, and 2 tsp of Sugar all in a bowl. Then mix it till it’s all combined with no lumps. You must use actual Sake for the marinade, no substitutions are allowed due to the long marinade time. You need the alcohol content.
Once the king mackerel has been salted for 30 minutes, take some sake and rinse off the pieces with the sake. DO NOT use water for this step. Pat the pieces of fish dry and place them into a glass container.
Coat both sides of the king mackerel with the marinade and cover with the lid. Put the miso king mackerel in the fridge to marinate for two days.
After two days have passed it’s time to cook the miso king mackerel. Preheat your oven to 400F.
Scrape off as much of the miso marinade as you can off the king mackerel, then place it skin-side up on the parchment paper or silicone mat if you have one.
Bake the fish for around 20 minutes, until the skin has browned up nicely and blistered. A little char is fine. You don’t need to flip the fish during the bake. Adjust your time depending on the thickness of the fish.
Serve the miso king mackerel immediately after pulling it from the oven. I chose to serve it with some white rice, pickled celery, and miso soup. You can make miso soup easily at home by using the miso you bought for the marinade. All you need to do is mix the miso into boiling water and add hondashi granules till it tastes right. If it’s too salty just add more water.
