Mackerel and wild camping West coast Scotland

[shakey jake]

An even better way is simply to pour a kettle of boiling water over it. Then the skin just wipes off.

Never tried that, i take a pair of catfish skinning pliers, once the fins are off uts not hard really

 

[kenbro]

So, are we talking driftwood fire on the beach for the mackerel.........fish gutted and hung over the embers on a bit of wire strung between two sticks?

D.

It's called "Huss" down here on the south coast, "Rock Eel" where I come from......best way to skin it is to tease up the skin just behind the head with a knife, enough to grip, wrap a bit of damp towel round each hand and use the cloth to get a grip on the flap of skin..
Then hold down the head with the other hand. and pull the skin firmly. Also works with skate, thornbacks etc. any fish with rough or thorny skin.

D

I think Huss and Dog fish are different and have a different “nose” shape. Huss have 2 nose flaps and Doggie just the 1.
Ken.

 

[csl]

I think Huss and Dog fish are different and have a different “nose” shape. Huss have 2 nose flaps and Doggie just the 1.

Agreed!

Bull Huss vs Dogfish:

 

[csl]

No a lover of mackerel but can suffer the odd one

Fresh caught Mackerel, like properly fresh caught and on the BBQ with the hour, is like a different fish to one a day or two old in my opinion. The oil is hidden and the taste isn't 'fishy' at all!

 

[nick.308]

Mackerel can be a bit hit and miss from
The shore I’d go for pollock.

pollock tastes rubbish. rather have mackerel any day

 

[Mungo]

pollock tastes rubbish. rather have mackerel any day

Yes.

Tastes like boiled socks.

Only way to eat it is in a stew/soup with a lot of strong aromatics.

 

[opticron1]

I had a few really good sessions on the Mackerel from the shore at Arrochar on Loch Long when I was living up in Killin back in the 70s!
Not sure about the "Wild Camping" around there but there's certainly some stunning scenery!

Edit- I did on one occasion meet up with a group of "bikers" who had camped out and slept "under the stars" on the West Side of the loch while I was on an early morning foray and treated them all to fresh caught mackerel cooked on an open fire for their breakfast (The Mackerel were all cooked within 5 minutes of being caught so you don't get much fresher than that) which they were all very thankful for before they went on their way!

Used to fish around Loch Long a few years back when you could still camp in the area. Mackerel could be plentiful and tasted great straight out of the water, but sadly the jungle drums start beating when the mackerel are in and the place can get busy with the black bin liner brigade that leave mess everywhere.
There are a couple of places around the Isle of Whithorn in Galloway that can still produce a decent number of fish, but folk tend to keep quiet about it to avoid the crowds.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Used to fish around Loch Long a few years back when you could still camp in the area. Mackerel could be plentiful and tasted great straight out of the water, but sadly the jungle drums start beating when the mackerel are in and the place can get busy with the black bin liner brigade that leave mess everywhere.
There are a couple of places around the Isle of Whithorn in Galloway that can still produce a decent number of fish, but folk tend to keep quiet about it to avoid the crowds.

Unfortunately that is the case all round our coast nowadays when the mackerel are in, "the jungle drums" start sounding out and the thoughtless idiots all come out to play. People bring their tins, bags, sandwich wrappers, bottles etc with them so why the hell don't or can't they take them back home with them or at least put them in a rubbish bin that we see so many of along the road side and in the laybys where they park their cars? Disrespectful, lazy, ignorant b******s!

 

[User00056]

Fresh caught Mackerel, like properly fresh caught and on the BBQ with the hour, is like a different fish to one a day or two old in my opinion. The oil is hidden and the taste isn't 'fishy' at all!

Absolutely agree with this. A fresh-caught mackerel is an absolute joy to eat

 

[angusb1]

pollock tastes rubbish. rather have mackerel any day

Had a load of pollock a few weeks ago and made some lovely Thai fish cakes out of them. They were really tasty

 

[sauer]

Pollock or big coalie make brilliant fish cakes and choose flavour profile you want

 

[Pelyma]

Agreed!

Bull Huss vs Dogfish:

View attachment 426210

They have renamed them! The LSD is now called a small-spotted Catsharks and a Bull Huss is now a Nursehound, so you can say I've been shark fishing off the beach.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

When I lived in Devon I used to catch Bull Huss from Hopes Nose! My favourite way to cook them was to gut and skin them as soon as possible after catching then cut them into pieces about 1.5 to 2 inches long and then make a Thick(ish) Garlic Batter up, dip them in the batter so they were well coated and then deep fry them, then when they were cooked serve them with a mixed salad and buttered crusty bread!
If you haven't tried them this way it is well worth a try!

Just about any Sea Fish is great to eat as long as you cook and eat them as soon as possible after catching and killing them - Especially Mackerel - The fresher the better!

 

[shakey jake]

When I lived in Devon I used to catch Bull Huss from Hopes Nose! My favourite way to cook them was to gut and skin them as soon as possible after catching then cut them into pieces about 1.5 to 2 inches long and then make a Thick(ish) Garlic Batter up, dip them in the batter so they were well coated and then deep fry them, then when they were cooked serve them with a mixed salad and buttered crusty bread!
If you haven't tried them this way it is well worth a try!

Just about any Sea Fish is great to eat as long as you cook and eat them as soon as possible after catching and killing them - Especially Mackerel - The fresher the better!

Ive heard all the nonsense about sea fish. Wrasse, pollack, pout, dog fish, scad.
Most people that tell you a fish is awful either cant cook or have never cooked a fish but their mates mum once told them how bad they were!
Ive eaten all the above except pout in the last month, nothing wrong with them, infact scad are better than macks!

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Ive heard all the nonsense about sea fish. Wrasse, pollack, pout, dog fish, scad.
Most people that tell you a fish is awful either cant cook or have never cooked a fish but their mates mum once told them how bad they were!
Ive eaten all the above except pout in the last month, nothing wrong with them, infact scad are better than macks!

I have never tried Scad but I would imagine that they are just as nice tasting as any of the other fish (Including Mackerel) that we can "harvest" from our shores.
It's all down to how fresh the fish are and how you cook them! Let's face it you can get a good quality steak but it it's not cooked properly it can end up tasting and looking like a piece of old shoe leather!

 

[shakey jake]

I have never tried Scad but I would imagine that they are just as nice tasting as any of the other fish (Including Mackerel) that we can "harvest" from our shores.
It's all down to how fresh the fish are and how you cook them! Let's face it you can get a good quality steak but it it's not cooked properly it can end up tasting and looking like a piece of old shoe leather!

Scad are oily like macks but lack the irony/bloody after taste, very clean tasting.
I fried them side by side.
All comes down to cooking

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Scad are oily like macks but lack the irony/bloody after taste, very clean tasting.
I fried them side by side.
All comes down to cooking

Agreed that it all comes down to cooking nut as I said I have never tried them, but would be more than willing as I love fresh fish!

 

[oldhamstocks]

Drummore port Patrick
Mite be up there me sell soon

My ex-Mrs part of the world, heaven on earth, sea-fishing of their beach and shooting over her old man’s land, they were happy days.

 

[Cootmeurer]

Absolutely love mackerel grilled whole over an open fire, or if king mackerel cut into steaks for the same treatment.
Not bad smoked either.

Not a great deal of fight, but so delicious.

 

[Demetrius]

They need to be eaten off the bone, not filleted or otherwise ponced about with.

D.