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There’s something deeply satisfying about turning a simple trip to the fish market and a harvest from the summer garden into a complete, beautiful lunch. This Grilled Mackerel with Homemade Beetroot Wrap is exactly that kind of meal. I bought the mackerel fresh from the market, filleted it myself, and seasoned it with herbs I picked straight from the garden. The vegetables for the salad and the beetroot for the wrap also came from our own garden, making every bite feel connected to the season.

What I love most about this recipe is how fresh and flexible it is. The mackerel is simply seasoned and grilled until the skin turns perfectly crispy, while the inside stays tender and flavorful. The homemade beetroot wrap is soft, slightly earthy, and a beautiful deep pink color. Inside, a bright summer garden salad of shredded carrot, parsley, and onion adds crunch and freshness. You can enjoy the grilled mackerel on its own with the salad on the side, or wrap everything together with a little lettuce and refried beans or cheese for a complete, satisfying lunch.

Ingredients

Mackerel Seasoning:

Fresh mackerel fillets
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Paprika
Fresh thyme (from the garden)

Summer Garden Salad:

Shredded carrot
Chopped parsley
Chopped onion
Salt
Olive oil
Sumac

Homemade Beetroot Wrap:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1¾ cups beetroot juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder

For assembling:

Fresh lettuce
Refried beans or cheese (optional, to help seal the wrap)
Sumac sour sauce (optional, for the tangy flavor)

Instructions

Start with the mackerel. If you buy whole fish, then filet it out, pat the fillets dry, then season both sides with salt, pepper, paprika, and fresh thyme. Drizzle lightly with olive oil so the seasoning will stick on the fish. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat, drizzle a bit of oil just to make sure that the fish won’t stick on the pan and cook the fillets skin-side down for about 3-4 minutes, until the skin is crispy and then flip the other side cook for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Make the summer garden salad. In a bowl, combine the shredded carrot from the garden, chopped parsley from the garden, and finely sliced onion. Season with salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of sumac ( you can substitute sumac with lemon juice if you don’t have one). Toss gently and set aside. This salad is wonderful both inside the wrap and as a side dish.
Prepare the beetroot wrap dough. In the blender, put peeled and chopped beetroot in there, add In 1 3/4 cup water and blend well, Strain the beetroot juice. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the beetroot juice and mix until the mixture is smooth just like a pancake mixture. Heat up the pan on a medium high heat, Add the mixture 1-1.5 scoops in the pan, swirl the pan so the mixture spread around and cover the pan just like a crepe, After 1 minute the wrap should dry enough and set , use your hand or spatula to check if it is ready to flip, then flipping it until lightly cooked on both sides. As soon as each wrap is done, cover it with a clean towel so it stays soft and flexible.
To assemble, lay a beetroot wrap flat. Add a layer of lettuce, a spoonful of the garden salad, a piece of grilled mackerel, drizzle some sumac sour sauce for the tangy and sweet flavor(optional), and add a little bit of refried beans or cheese if desired( just around the corner at the end, so the wrap can be seal and won’t break when we sear the wrap in the pan). Roll it up tightly, sealing the end so it holds together.
Sear it in the hot drizzle some olive oil, add a teaspoon of tomato paste in the pan, and brush the tomato paste on the sandwich, it will give a nice color char color and smoky aroma and taste. Toast in the pan until crispy golden brown.

This meal has become one of our favorite summer lunches. It uses the freshest ingredients we can find — fish from the market and herbs and vegetables from our own garden — and comes together with simple, calm steps. The crispy-skinned mackerel is delicious on its own, but wrapped in the soft beetroot flatbread with that crunchy garden salad, it turns into a complete and beautiful lunch.

Simply living our beautiful lives — one recipe at a time.

Mackerel grilled fish with homemade beetroot wrap

Grilled Mackerel &Homemade beetroot wrap

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, French, Italian, Mediterranean

Calories: 580

Ingredients Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients

Ingredients
Mackerel Seasoning:
Fresh mackerel fillets
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Paprika
Fresh thyme from the garden
Summer Garden Salad:
Shredded carrot
Chopped parsley
Chopped onion
Salt
Olive oil
Sumac
Homemade Beetroot Wrap:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1¾ cups beetroot juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
For assembling:
Fresh lettuce
Refried beans or cheese optional, to help seal the wrap
sumac sour sauce optional,for tangy flavor

Method

Instructions
Start with the mackerel. If you buy whole fish, then filet it out, pat the fillets dry, then season both sides with salt, pepper, paprika, and fresh thyme. Drizzle lightly with olive oil so the seasoning will stick on the fish. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat, drizzle a bit of oil just to make sure that the fish won’t stick on the pan and cook the fillets skin-side down for about 3-4 minutes, until the skin is crispy and then flip the other side cook for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Make the summer garden salad. In a bowl, combine the shredded carrot from the garden, chopped parsley from the garden, and finely sliced onion. Season with salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of sumac ( you can substitute sumac with lemon juice if you don’t have one). Toss gently and set aside. This salad is wonderful both inside the wrap and as a side dish.
Prepare the beetroot wrap dough. In the blender, put peeled and chopped beetroot in there, add In 1 3/4 cup water and blend well, Strain the beetroot juice. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the beetroot juice and mix until the mixture is smooth just like a pancake mixture. Heat up the pan on a medium high heat, Add the mixture 1-1.5 scoops in the pan, swirl the pan so the mixture spread around and cover the pan just like a crepe, After 1 minute the wrap should dry enough and set , use your hand or spatula to check if it is ready to flip, then flipping it until lightly cooked on both sides. As soon as each wrap is done, cover it with a clean towel so it stays soft and flexible.
To assemble, lay a beetroot wrap flat. Add a layer of lettuce, a spoonful of the garden salad, a piece of grilled mackerel, drizzle some sumac sour sauce for the tangy and sweet flavor(optional), and add a little bit of refried beans or cheese if desired( just around the corner at the end, so the wrap can be seal and won’t break when we sear the wrap in the pan). Roll it up tightly, sealing the end so it holds together.
Sear it in the hot drizzle some olive oil, add a teaspoon of tomato paste in the pan, and brush the tomato paste on the sandwich, it will give a nice color char color and smoky aroma and taste. Toast in the pan until crispy golden brown.
This meal has become one of our favorite summer lunches. It uses the freshest ingredients we can find — fish from the market and herbs and vegetables from our own garden — and comes together with simple, calm steps. The crispy-skinned mackerel is delicious on its own, but wrapped in the soft beetroot flatbread with that crunchy garden salad, it turns into a complete and beautiful lunch.
Simply living our beautiful lives — one recipe at a time.