Mackerel Pasta

1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. fennel seed, slightly crushed
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 carrot, julienned or grated
1 clove garlic, crushed or minced if no press
1/4 cup white wine* (I use Chardonnay, but it’s optional)
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen is fine
1 (15 oz.) can mackerel
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 pound pasta (I usually use spaghetti, but use your favorite)

1. Put on a large pot of pasta water to boil, and cook your pasta while preparing the sauce. Add salt and oil to the pasta water if you like.

The trick is to have the pasta come done at the same time as the sauce without overcooking the pasta, peas or fish. I do it by preparing the sauce up to step 5., and then dropping the pasta in the boiling water. When pasta is five minutes away from done, proceed with step 6., and so on.

2. Heat chicken broth to boiling. A bouillon cube is fine for this. Add turmeric, fennel seed and crushed pepper to the hot broth so they begin to soften and release their flavors.

2. Heat olive oil in saucepan. Add onion and stir-fry until caramelized. Add carrot and garlic and stir-fry about a minute. Don’t let garlic get dark.

4. Add wine to the skillet and let boil to deglaze pan.

5. Add your spicy broth, and let this come to a boil.

6. Add peas, and if they’re still frozen let come back to a boil before adding your fish, which is already fully cooked.

7. Add mackerel to sauce, and you want it to just come back to a nice hot boil, but not to cook anymore.

8. Finish the sauce by swirling in your butter, and serve immediately over your hot pasta, which you have drained and placed in serving dishes.

* You may want to add 1/2 tsp. white vinegar to your chicken broth if you choose not to use the wine.

I felt compelled to share this recipe even though the request for canned mackerel recipes was so old because there really aren’t very many recipes even on the web for canned mackerel. Many of the results are either making fun of canned mackerel or recipes for pet foods.

It was inspired by pasta with white clam sauce because I wanted another way to serve this nutritious, economical fish other than the standard patties and croquettes.

I hope you enjoy it!