TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Sgombro al Forno con PatateOven-Baked Mackerel with Potatoes
Mackerel baked with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, white wine and herbs. Aromatics and acidity support the oily fish; coordinating the cooking times of fish and potatoes is essential.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Mackerel filletsCheck for bones and dry. Skin-on is preferable.700 g
- PotatoesPeel and cut into 3 mm rounds.500 g
- Cherry tomatoesHalved200 g
- GarlicThinly sliced2 cloves
- Fresh rosemary2 sprigs
- Dry white wine80 ml
- Extra virgin olive oil60 ml
- Salt7 g
- Black pepper1 g
Method
Prepare potatoes and tomatoes
- 1 Peel 500 g potatoes and cut into 3 mm rounds.
- 2 Soak in water for 5 minutes to remove surface starch, then dry thoroughly.
- 3 Halve 200 g cherry tomatoes.
- 4 Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves.
Dry and season the mackerel
- 1 Check 700 g mackerel fillets for bones and pat dry with paper towels.
- 2 Season both sides with salt and black pepper and rest skin-side up for 10 minutes.
- 3 Blot any released moisture lightly.
Arrange the potatoes
- 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- 2 Spread potatoes, 40 ml extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper and 1 rosemary sprig in an ovenproof dish.
Ready when
Avoid excessive overlapping.
Part-roast the potatoes
- 1 Roast the potatoes at 200°C for 15 minutes.
- 2 Remove when the edges are translucent and the surfaces slightly dry, with slices bending readily.
Add mackerel and vegetables
- 1 Place the mackerel skin-side up over the part-roasted potatoes.
- 2 Add cherry tomatoes, garlic, remaining rosemary, 80 ml dry white wine and 20 ml extra virgin olive oil.
Ready when
Continue when fish touches potatoes directly and the wine forms a thin layer on the bottom.
Bake fish and potatoes
- 1 Bake at 200°C for 15–18 minutes.
- 2 It is ready when the mackerel is cooked to the center, its skin has shrunk slightly and a skewer enters the potatoes easily.
Baste and rest
- 1 Spoon the juices from the dish over the mackerel and rest for 3 minutes.
- 2 Plate when the fish separates in large flakes and the potatoes have absorbed the juices.
About this dish
Mackerel belongs to Italy's pesce azzurro, oily blue-backed fish, and has long sustained Mediterranean coastal food alongside sardines and anchovies. High fat and rapid loss of freshness once caused markets to dismiss it as a fish fishermen ate themselves, compared with costly white fish.
Along southern coasts such as Puglia and Calabria, fish and potatoes are widely baked together. Fish fat and savor transfer into the potatoes, and the vegetables themselves act as a sauce: a typical Mediterranean household approach to creating satisfaction with few ingredients.
From the 1970s through the 1980s, renewed interest in the Mediterranean diet in Italy brought oily fish fresh recognition as a central element. Once bought cheaply at ports, it now appears as a symbol of healthy eating.
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