Grilled mackerel stuffed with carrots recipe

Ingredients

• 4 large whole mackerel, about
• 2 pounds (1 kg) each, deboned
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• ⅓ cup (50 g) golden seedless raisins
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) brandy or dry white wine
• ⅓ cup (45 g) pine nuts
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups (60 g) plain croutons or ¼-inch (6 mm) dried bread cubes made from stale, hard bread
• ½ cup (25 g) chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse and pat dry the deboned fish. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Put them on a plate, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Stuffing
2. Soak the raisins in the brandy for 30 minutes. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat and toast the pine nuts, tossing continuously, until lightly golden on both sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir together for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add the bread cubes, raisins and brandy, pine nuts, parsley, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Toss well.
5. Heat a grill to medium. The grill rack should be about 5 inches (12.5 cm) from the heat source. Oil a flat, long-handled grill basket that has a top and bottom for holding whole fish in place securely. (You will need to use this to keep the stuffed fish together.) Tear off or cut four 14-inch (36 cm) squares of parchment paper and four equal-size pieces of aluminum foil. Set each parchment square over a square of foil.
6. Place one-quarter of the filling inside the cavity of each fish, pressing it in gently to be as compact as possible. Brush the surface of the fish, on both sides, with a little olive oil. Place each stuffed fish in the middle of a parchment-foil square. Bring the sides of both the parchment and foil up and around and fold closed securely and relatively tightly. There should be some room between the fish and the wrapping, but it should be fairly compact.
7. Place the wrapped fish in the prepared grill basket and place the basket over direct medium heat. Grill the fish for 25 to 35 minutes, flipping the basket once after about 15 minutes. Remove from the grill, unwrap carefully (any steam in the packets will be hot), and serve hot.