Pan-Fried Mackerel with Sage Butter, Mashed Potato Pancakes & Garlic Roasted Green Beans

This dish is inspired by a mackerel recipe cooked for our Chatham Harvesters members by Chef Gavin Smith. His Mackerel with Miso Butter, a dish that truly celebrates how delicious, versatile, and underrated mackerel can be. I recently had the honor of cooking it (and sharing the story behind it) at an event hosted by Sustainable CAPE, welcoming our Outer Cape friends along with visitors from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and the Barnstable County Buy Fresh Buy Local team. Together, we gathered to learn more about Cape Cod’s food and seafood systems—and to celebrate the people who make them thrive.

MDAR supports some of the best farmers market programs in the state, and Sustainable CAPE is a cornerstone of Outer Cape community life. They manage the Truro Farmers Market (we’ll see you next year!) and the Provincetown Farmers Market, and they also lead important health, nutrition, and food access programs that support families across the Outer Cape.

That afternoon, I had the chance to speak with about 50 people about my personal connection to mackerel, one that runs deep through my family’s fishing history. My roots in fishing go back generations, and for many years I fished alongside my husband and family, operating fish weirs in Nantucket Sound. Every spring, mackerel was often one of the first fish to arrive in the Sound, signaling the start of a new season and the return of life to the water.

Mackerel also carries a rich Cape Cod history. It was once an essential bait fish for the Grand Bank boats of yesterday, and it became a true staple food during the early 20th century, especially through the hardship of the Great Depression, when families relied on harvesting nourishing seafood to get by. Mackerel has always been a working-class fish: dependable, abundant, and deeply tied to the rhythms of the coast.

Back when we were fishing for mackerel, it wasn’t unusual to get five cents a pound. We packed it, iced and handled with care, and loaded it onto tractor-trailer trucks headed to fish houses and freezer facilities outside Massachusetts. The fish was valuable, but the people who caught it didn’t always see that value reflected back to their communities.

That’s why I’m so proud, and honestly, deeply honored, to be part of the Chatham Harvesters Cooperative, where we’re working to change that story. We’re taking fish that are caught abundantly here, processing it locally, and offering it directly to our farmers market customers and fish share members. We’re keeping more of the seafood economy right here on Cape Cod, where it belongs; supporting local fishermen, local jobs, and local families.

This updated version of Chef Smith’s dish showcases just how incredible mackerel can be when it’s pan-fried until the skin turns crisp and golden, creating that perfect contrast between crunchy exterior and rich, tender fish. In this version, we swapped the miso butter for a sage butter, and paired the fillet with mashed potato pancakes and garlic-roasted green beans. It’s simple, comforting, and full of Cape Cod flavor—an honest plate of food that reflects both tradition and the future we’re building together.

At Chatham Harvesters, we believe local seafood isn’t just something you eat—it’s a connection to place, to people, and to the generations of fishermen who came before us. And for me, mackerel will always be more than a fish. It’s a memory, a livelihood, and a reminder that some of the best seafood in the world has been here all along.

Pan-Fried Mackerel with Sage Butter

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb mackerel fillets (skin-on)

• Salt + black pepper

• 1 tbsp neutral oil (grapeseed or canola)

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

• 4–6 fresh sage leaves

Direction

1. Dry and season the fish: Pat mackerel very dry with paper towels. Season both the skin side and flesh side with salt and pepper.

2. Pan-fry (skin-side down): Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, then place fillets skin-side down.

   • Press gently for 10–15 seconds so the skin stays flat.

   • Cook 3–4 minutes, until the skin is crisp and most of the fish has turned opaque.

3. Flip briefly: Turn fillets and cook 1–2 minutes on the flesh side. Transfer to a warm plate flesh-side up.

4. Make the sage butter: In a small bowl, mix softened butter with sage leaves.

5. Finish: Spread sage butter over the hot fish and serve immediately.

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Serves 2–4 ( left overs!)

Ingredients

• 2 cups mashed potatoes (cold works best)

• 1 large egg

• 1/3 cup flour (or 2–3 tbsp if your mash is very thick)

• 2–3 tbsp grated Parmesan or cheddar (optional, but great)

• 2 scallions/green onions, sliced (optional)

• Salt + black pepper

• 1–2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil (for frying)

Direction

1. Make the mixture: In a bowl, mix mashed potatoes, egg, flour, cheese (if using), scallions (if using), salt, and pepper.

   • If the mixture feels too loose to shape, add a little more flour.

2. Form pancakes: Scoop about 1/4 cup per pancake and flatten into ½-inch-thick rounds.

3. Pan-fry: Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply golden and crisp.

   • Add more butter/oil between batches as needed.

4. Serve: Best hot and crispy right out of the pan.

   
   

Garlic Roasted Green Beans

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1garlic cloves, minced (or thinly sliced)

• 1/4 tsp salt

• Black pepper

• Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes

• Optional finish: lemon zest/juice or grated Parmesan

Direction

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F .

2. Season the beans: Toss green beans with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using).

3. Roast: Spread on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast 12–15 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until blistered and tender-crisp.

4. Finish and serve: Taste and adjust seasoning. Add lemon or Parmesan if desired.

NOTE: We featured the fish recipe first, but to ensure everything comes out hot at once, here's a suggested workflow.

1. Start: Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Green beans: Toss and put them in the oven (12–15 minutes).

3. Potato pancakes: Mix, shape, and start pan-frying while the beans roast.

4. Mackerel: When the pancakes are almost done, pan-fry the mackerel (fast-cooking).

5. Finish: Mix sage butter, top fish, plate everything, and serve.

NOTE: Chef Gavin Smith's Miso Buttered Mackerel is included on our recipe blog

Shareen Davis is the Marketing and Sales Manager and creates the recipe blog for Chatham Harvesters Cooperative. A true seafood enthusiast with deep, generational roots in Chatham’s fishing community, she blends her love of local flavors with her passion for sharing the stories behind the catch.