Confit mackerel

Fresh mackerel is a lovely, inexpensive fish, but when simply grilled the pin bones are hard to handle. As thin as little needles they have ruined the best Mediterranean meal.

Then I had a thought. If you cook it low and slow perhaps the bones will soften enough to be less noticeable. 

My theory didn't play out as I intended but still created a wonderful meal.

I put the fish in a shallow dish and covered them with sliced garlic, onions, lemon. Plus rosemary, thyme, peppercorns and coriander seeds. Topped with light olive oil, the dish went into the oven at 100 degrees for two hours.

Out of the oven I found the fillets very easy to pull from the bone (leaving the tricky finer bones behind).

My lunch was a wrap filled with the fish, confit lemon slices, fresh red pepper and coriander leaf.

Perfect!