Nordic Crispy-Skin Mackerel with Roasted Beets and Horseradish
This is the plate you would get in a little Copenhagen lunch spot: crackly, salty mackerel skin, sweet beets roasted until their edges go sticky, and a cold swoosh of horseradish yogurt with plenty of dill to cut through it all. It is rich, bright and sharp in the same bite, packed with protein and omega-3s, and on the table in 40 minutes.
Love This Recipe?
Get personalized meal plans with recipes like this, automatically matched to your nutrition targets.
Nutrition (per serving)
This is the plate you would get in a little Copenhagen lunch spot: crackly, salty mackerel skin, sweet beets roasted until their edges go sticky, and a cold swoosh of horseradish yogurt with plenty of dill to cut through it all. It is rich, bright and sharp in the same bite, packed with protein and omega-3s, and on the table in 40 minutes.
Mackerel is the most underrated fish at the counter. It is cheap, sustainable and so full of flavor that it needs almost nothing done to it. The one rule is a bone-dry skin: pat it with paper towel, score it lightly so it doesn't curl, and leave it alone in the hot pan until it releases by itself. Fresh horseradish has a clean, nose-tingling heat, but a good jarred one works fine. Add it a little at a time and taste as you go.
Step-by-step instructions
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut the beets into 3/4-inch wedges, toss them on a sheet pan with 1 tbsp of the oil, salt and pepper, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and caramelized at the edges.
While the beets roast, stir the yogurt with the horseradish, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt and half the dill. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
As soon as the beets are tender, drizzle them with the honey and vinegar, toss right on the hot pan and roast for 3 more minutes, until sticky and glazed.
Pat the mackerel skin very dry, score it 3 times and season both sides. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, lay the fillets in skin-side down, press flat for 10 seconds and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin is crisp, then flip for 30 seconds.
Spread the horseradish yogurt across two plates, pile the glazed beets on top and lay the mackerel over them skin-side up. Finish with dill sprigs, lemon wedges and a pinch of flaky salt.
Roast a double tray of beets and they will keep in the fridge for four days, ready for salads and grain bowls. The horseradish yogurt is just as good with smoked trout, roast beef or a jacket potato. Mackerel is best cooked right before eating, but leftover fillets flake beautifully onto rye toast the next morning.
Ingredients
- 2 large mackerel fillets (about 6 oz / 170 g each), skin on and pin-boned
- 3 medium raw beets (about 12 oz / 340 g), peeled
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tbsp finely grated fresh horseradish (or 1 tbsp jarred horseradish)
- 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
- 1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped, plus sprigs to serve
- flaky salt and black pepper
Shop ingredientsAdds every ingredient to a cart from a store near you.
Step-by-Step
- 1
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut the beets into 3/4-inch wedges, toss them on a sheet pan with 1 tbsp of the oil, salt and pepper, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and caramelized at the edges.
- 2
While the beets roast, stir the yogurt with the horseradish, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt and half the dill. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- 3
As soon as the beets are tender, drizzle them with the honey and vinegar, toss right on the hot pan and roast for 3 more minutes, until sticky and glazed.
- 4
Pat the mackerel skin very dry, score it 3 times and season both sides. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, lay the fillets in skin-side down, press flat for 10 seconds and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin is crisp, then flip for 30 seconds.
- 5
Spread the horseradish yogurt across two plates, pile the glazed beets on top and lay the mackerel over them skin-side up. Finish with dill sprigs, lemon wedges and a pinch of flaky salt.
Recipe
Nordic Crispy-Skin Mackerel with Roasted Beets and Horseradish
Ingredients
- 2 large mackerel fillets (about 6 oz / 170 g each), skin on and pin-boned
- 3 medium raw beets (about 12 oz / 340 g), peeled
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tbsp finely grated fresh horseradish (or 1 tbsp jarred horseradish)
- 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
- 1 small bunch fresh dill, chopped, plus sprigs to serve
- flaky salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut the beets into 3/4-inch wedges, toss them on a sheet pan with 1 tbsp of the oil, salt and pepper, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and caramelized at the edges.
- 2
While the beets roast, stir the yogurt with the horseradish, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt and half the dill. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
- 3
As soon as the beets are tender, drizzle them with the honey and vinegar, toss right on the hot pan and roast for 3 more minutes, until sticky and glazed.
- 4
Pat the mackerel skin very dry, score it 3 times and season both sides. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, lay the fillets in skin-side down, press flat for 10 seconds and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin is crisp, then flip for 30 seconds.
- 5
Spread the horseradish yogurt across two plates, pile the glazed beets on top and lay the mackerel over them skin-side up. Finish with dill sprigs, lemon wedges and a pinch of flaky salt.
Nutrition Facts
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.