Name: Gino D'Acampo's ricotta and herb mackerel recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 fresh mackerels, cleaned, gutted, heads and spines removed; 6 tomatoes, sliced; 2tbsp olive oil; 2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and pepper

By Gino D’Acampo

published 20 July 2019

A deliciously light and easy way to serve fresh fish like omega 3-rich mackerel is to just bake it in the oven with a herby ricotta filling.

Ingredients

4 fresh mackerels, cleaned, gutted, heads and spines removed
6 tomatoes, sliced
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the stuffing:

250g ricotta
50g breadcrumbs
2 medium eggs
3tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
2tbsp capers in salt, rinsed and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

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Method

Wash the mackerels in cold water and dry on kitchen paper. Open out and lay flat on a chopping board with the skin side down. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4).
To prepare the stuffing, mix the ricotta, breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, chives, capers and garlic in a large bowl to create a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture between half of the flattened mackerels, spread and cover with another mackerel, sandwich-fashion. Once they are ready, place on an oiled baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and cook in the oven for about 20 mins.
Serve the mackerels immediately on a bed of sliced tomatoes dressed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Gino D’Acampo is a much-loved, cheeky TV chef who often appears on ITV’s popular daytime chat show This Morning. Born into a large family in Napoli, Italy, Gino’s been working in kitchens since he was young and fell in love with the industry age 11 when he walked into his grandfather’s restaurant. Gino’s Italian heritage has a huge influence on his recipes. From a classic margherita pizza to a four-cheese macaroni cheese with peas, we’re sure to have a Gino D’Acampo recipe your whole family will love! With three children of his own it is perhaps no surprise that so many of Gino’s recipes are perfect for the hustle and bustle of a busy home. As well as regularly appearing on This Morning to share his culinary skills and the odd cheeky joke or two, Gino has also had several TV shows of his own including most recently Gino’s Italian Coastal Escape which aired in November 2018 on ITV. He also won over much of the nation back in 2009 when he was crowned winner of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Gino has several best-selling cookbooks out including Gino’s Pasta, Home Baking and Gino’s Italian Escape. At the heart of all of his recipes is the belief that good ingredients can speak for themselves. On his website Gino explains: ‘My grandfather said that a good recipe doesn’t need lots and lots of ingredients because if the ingredients are top quality and full of flavour, why would you want to cover up or change their taste