Spanish Mackerel Dip

Family Secret Spanish Mackerel Dip Is Guaranteed To Shock & Awe

One of my favorite type of fishing is mackerel fishing. I grew up fishing from the piers in South Carolina. When the Spanish mackerel were running, you could fill a cooler in an hour. The fun thing about fishing for Spanish was throwing jigs. Spanish mackerel jigs are worked fast and get hit hard by nearby Spanish mackerel.

One reason a lot of people do not eat mackerel is that it has an overabundant fishy taste. It has to be cooked properly to shake that fishy taste. Many anglers will choose to smoke mackerel before incorporating into their Spanish mackerel dip. Not everyone had the time or money to smoke their fish so here is an alternative to the traditional smoking techniques that still taste amazing.

Spanish Mackerel Dip (Photo Credit: Food52)

Ingredients: What You Need To Make Spanish Mackerel Dip

• 4-6 Fresh mackerel fillets
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt 
• 1/2 Tsp. Sugar
• Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1Tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 Pack of cream cheese (Softened)
• 8oz. Sour cream
• Chives
• Green Onions

Preparation: How To Make Spanish Mackerel Dip

1) The preparation of the Spanish mackerel is key. On the fresh mackerel fillets make sure all the bloodlines are removed. Once all are removed soak the fillets in a water solution that includes salt and sugar. Add 1/2 Tsp. of salt and 1/2 Tsp of white sugar to a gallon ziplock bag. Add your fillets and fill with water until it is half full. Mix the contents of the bag well and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to an hour.

2) After your fillets have soaked, remove them and rinse them off for cooking. This is the time you would smoke your mackerel. We use an alternative method that just involves grilling it. Grill the mackerel fillets like you normally would. After removing them from the grill soak them immediately in balsamic vinegar for 10 minutes. In the balsamic vinegar add 1 Teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of black powder. This will give the Spanish mackerel a very nice taste for the dip while removing the abundant fishy taste.

3) Remove the fillets from the vinegar and chop it up very fine. In a large mixing bowl add your block of softened cream cheese and your sour cream. Add your fresh green onions and chives that are also chopped up fine. Mix everything together. Add salt to the Spanish mackerel dip according to taste.

Spanish Mackerel Dip Makes A Great Appetizer (Photo Credit: Cardamom Days)

Spanish Mackel can be a challenging fish to cook. Knowing the best recipe for knowing how to cook it properly is critical. Our family Spanish mackerel dip is one we have been making for years and we hope you will start making it for your family. We hope that you will try this one of a kind Spanish Mackerel recipe for yourself and give us some feedback as to if you and your family enjoyed it. Maybe you have a favorite Spanish mackerel recipe that we have not yet posted, well we want to hear it. Please leave a comment below or email us at [email protected]. Send us your best Spanish mackerel pictures to be featured on our website and social media accounts. Please share your thoughts in the comments and share with your friends and family. We hope the next time you need an amazing appetizer you will make the Spanish mackerel dip.