Whole Spanish Mackerel & Luneau-Papin 1997 L D'Or Muscadet

The fish guys at The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market had a fantastic value this past Saturday. Whole Spanish Mackerel was being sold for $4.95 a pound. I picked up a two pound whole fish and just cooked it very simply with salt, pepper, lemon slices for about 25 minutes in 375 degree oven. I served it with boiled white potatoes and green beans, both from the Union Square farmer's market.

The fish was unbelievable - perhaps one of my favorite whole cooked fish from them so far. It really tasted so fresh; it reminded me of the ocean. The good news is that there were lots of left overs, but here's the really sad part: I don't think cooked Spanish Mackerel is so appetizing as leftovers the next day. It took on this mushy consistency and just seemed too fishy. It's not that I have a problem eating leftovers. The potatoes with sea salt, dipped in mayonnaise were fantastic - creamy, cool, and just very potatoey. The fish was such a disappointment though, especially based on the high I felt the previous night, enjoying it when it was warm.

Wine Pairing

A little celebrating was in order, so a bottle of Luneau-Papin 1997 L D'Or Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine was opened. Straw colored, vibrant, mellowed with a little age, but still youthful, mineral. It was very easy to compare this to a much more expensive Chablis. Not that I would turn down drinking Chablis, but the aged Luneau-Papin Muscadets blow me away every time I try them. Just fantastic stuff.