Spanish Mackerel Dumplings — From Sea to Table

Cooking StepsHow to cook Spanish Mackerel Dumplings — From Sea to Table step by step

Cooking Process

1. Step 1 Detail

   First, prep the mackerel: chop off the head, remove the gills, and rinse clean.

2. Step 2 Detail

   Cut open the belly, discard the innards, but save the roe.

3. Step 3 Detail

   Remove the blood along the backbone and thoroughly clean the inside of the belly.

4. Step 4 Detail

   Fillet the fish by cutting along the backbone to split it open.

5. Step 5 Detail

   Use a stainless steel spoon to scrape the flesh off the skin, keeping only the white meat and discarding the dark/red meat (which sits against the skin in the center of each fillet).

6. Step 6 Detail

   The scraped flesh may still have some larger pieces — knead it by hand into a smooth, uniform fish paste.

7. Step 7 Detail

   Prepare a large bowl of scallion-ginger water (you may need two bowls — adjust based on how wet the filling is).

8. Step 8 Detail

   Gradually add the scallion-ginger water while stirring. Mackerel filling should be on the looser side — the looser the better, as long as you can still wrap the dumplings.

9. Step 9 Detail

   Once the filling is fairly loose, add salt, lard (or peanut oil), and one egg white, and continue stirring until evenly combined. Add the Chinese chives at the very end, right before wrapping — this prevents them from weeping water. Check the consistency once more before wrapping; if the filling has thickened, add a bit more water and stir.

10. Step 10 Detail

    Start wrapping! Mackerel dumplings call for large, thin wrappers and generous filling.

11. Step 11 Detail
12. Step 12 Detail
13. Step 13 Detail

    Mackerel dumplings are best when they’re big!

14. Step 14 Detail

    The fish skin, head, and roe can all be cooked separately — nothing goes to waste.