Spanish Mackerel, Cafeteria style

[Twenty five ought six]

We discussed cooking mackerel, and I mentioned that when I was young, my personal favorite cafeteria dish was "broiled" spanish mackerel. This was a seasonal dish depending on the run.

Well, just so happens that today's Athens paper has the recipe for the old Morrisons spanish mackerel. This is just as I remembered, lots of butter, with the paprika. What I didn't know, and I'm glad to know now, is that the fish was baked, not broiled. I've tried doing it broiled and it just wasn't the same.

SPANISH MACKEREL LIKE MORRISON'S CAFETERIA
2 Spanish mackerel fillets, skin on, bones removed
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon paprika
Place mackerel skin-side down in a buttered baking dish. Mix the mayonnaise with the milk and spread on top of the fish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake fish until done, about 10 minutes per inch of thickness; the fish is ready when the flesh becomes opaque and can be pierced easily with a fork. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 518 calories (62 percent from fat), 34.9 g fat (7 g saturated, 8.7 g monounsaturated), 118.7 mg cholesterol, 46.1 g protein, 2.8 g carbohydrates, 1.3 g fiber, 315.2 mg sodium.
Shirley, of Athens, asked if anyone could help her make a custard pie like Morrison's. Margaret Stone, of Bonaire, responded with a recipe from a church cookbook in West Virginia.
I believe much of the appeal of Morrison's was the simple but delicious fare. This pie is a fine example. For fans, there is a wide selection of Morrison's copycat recipes at www.hungrybrowser.com.

 

[Bitteroot]

Boy oh boy! If my daddy was still alive, he'd beat me to death if I didn't fix that for him! He dearly loved to go there and eat the Mac! That and the old Rosin Baked potatos at the Cracker barrel. You would have thought there wasn't any thing else in the world better to eat! Except for maybe the Crab Trap in Savanna. He could hurt them on the all you could eat nights!

 

[bigox911]

That sounds real good. For the longest time my grandpa was talkin about how good his broiled catfish was...we had it the other night and ended up it was baked. I guess the terms were just different back then.

 

[sportingarms]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I LOVED this dish at Morrison's! The only thing I liked better were their fried shrimp, remember the sort of crispy batter they had on them?

 

[Big7]

Never had em' at Morrison's.

I caught a lot of them when I lived in Clearwater, FL.

I like mine on the grill (as I do all oily fish) with some
50/50 butter and lemon juice and a little salt.

Microwave the butter and lemon juice in a coffee cup
and "dip" like lobster or scallops.

BTW -The best way to ruin an oily fish is to overcook it.

This works good on tuna, dolphin, amberjack etc...
Yum Yum!

 

[CrackerBoyd]

Morrisons Cafeteria

Thanks for the recipe. That was definitely a stroll down Memory Lane. It was a ritual for us every Sunday after church to go to Morrisons with my Grandparents and my Grandfather would always order the Spanish mackerel. Eventually got me "hooked" (pun intended) on it. I sure miss those days. As i recall their yellow rice was another favorite and of course the previously mentioned fried shrimp

 

[sportingarms]

Oh yeah! I forgot about the yellow rice!!!!

 

[grouper sandwich]

Thanks for posting this. I'll be putting it to use once the spring run starts!