Mackerels: j’leur ai fait leur fête
There are words that simply get lost in translation.
Really, they do.
Take the French expression “J’leur ai fait leur fête” for example. Of course, if I kept to a word-to-word translation, it would mean, I made a feast to them (them being the fish). But in fact, the meaning is not this at all. The expression actually means I found a destiny for my fish: I cooked them, but in an ironical way.
And even this translation sounds awkward and unsatisfactory.
C’m on! Any French person or expert to help me with a better way to say this?
In any case, I did indeed manage to find a destiny to my two lovely mackerels. I must say, I really found them elegant and beautiful with their shining blueish gray color.
They tasted heavenly too, baked quite simply in a large papillote cooked in the oven, with olive oil, lemon slices and juice, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Of course, mackerels are excellent grilled too, since they are an oily fish.
In fact, they fascinated me so much that the next thing I did was to go and buy more the next day, this time to prepare a type of rollmops — rollmops are actually made with herrings. It was my first time.
And they are still marinating in the fridge.
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All this fish you are cooking… it looks so fresh and succulent! As always impecable!
Comment by Aran — On April, 17th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
can’t help you with the french idiom, but i can tell you that the photo is gorgeous with the blue. oh yeah, and i love mackerel so it also looks delish!
Comment by mimi — On April, 17th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Mmmmm… I love mackerels. I grew up on this fish. As you mentioned, they’re quite oily fish, and they’re naturally salty so My mom would simply cut them up into 3 inch pieces, including the head, and pop them in the oven with no oil, no salt, nothing. I loved them with just a simple bowl of steaming white rice. Oof. I’m now craving these dearly.
Comment by annie — On April, 17th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Ah … fresh mackerel. Many moons ago, when I lived with my parents, we used to eat mackerel with a spinach stew (like a spinach gravy … I can’t figure it out right now) and a slice of lemon. I was fantastic.
Comment by Christina — On April, 17th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Oh! Mackarel is one of my favourite fish! We usually cook them in a large pot in a Korean style, but I should try in a papillote – why it never crossed my mind to do so, I don’t know!
Comment by Ellie @ Kitchen Wench — On April, 17th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
we like them grilled with soy sauce, sugar and a little mirin.
Comment by kat — On April, 17th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I really make too few papillotes – so thanks for the inspiration
Comment by Jesper — On April, 18th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Simply delicious… I love mackerels for their strong taste and the way they look, backing them as you did is a really nice way… I’d love some too right now…
Comment by ~marion~ — On April, 18th, 2008 at 12:56 am
L’idée des rollmops au maquereau m’intrigue!
Comment by mayacook — On April, 18th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Wow, those pictures are mindblowingly beautiful! I really love the harmonious choice of colors and the way those fishes are presented!
A yummy dish! Such expressions are not easy to translate/don’t really translate well…
Cheers,
Rosa
Comment by Rosa — On April, 18th, 2008 at 1:28 am
YES!!! Those look fantastic. In portuguese we would say “eu os detonei” or I detonated (devoured) them!!
Comment by Suzie — On April, 18th, 2008 at 4:34 am
Never done mackerels in papillotte. Maybe because it was this fish only we were going fishing when on holidays in the south of France suring summer and so it always ended on the bbq.
We were trying “to make the best out of them, they (the mackerel) could not beleive their eyes.” still sounds strange for a translation…
Comment by Malvina — On April, 18th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Qu’est-ce que c’est beau un maquereau quand meme, impeccablement profile, l’eil presque vif
Superbe!
Comment by gracianne — On April, 18th, 2008 at 5:36 am
yummy!!
love fish~~~
Comment by YOYO Cooking — On April, 18th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Bea, I’m sure you’ve heard this many times but your food photography and styling is absolutely immaculate. Colours, textures and even flavours just leap out the page…awesome work xoxo
Comment by Christine — On April, 18th, 2008 at 8:37 am
hey bea!
Awww, shucks! I do hope you’re able to find some time to make something for SHF!!
)
Comment by Amrita — On April, 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Holy Mackerel, incredible Mackerels! That sure doesn’t do it.
I think your photo’s come as close as anything short of popping the mackerel in my mouth!
Comment by MyKitchhenInHalfCups — On April, 18th, 2008 at 11:32 am
ALors la, tu m’en colle une ….I draw a blank on the idiom. Il n’y a rien de meilleur que le maquereau frais..ou les anchoic frais!
Comment by Tartelette — On April, 18th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Hi Bea, I am admiring your art work. Every pictures are made with special design and though. I never been able until now taking a picture of fish as beautiful as yours.
Just want to stop by today and drop couples of lines – have a great weekend.
Comment by dwiana — On April, 18th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Give up, Bea, some phrases truly do get lost in transaltion. Incidentally you “find a destiny for” something, not “a destiny to”. The props and background papers for your photos are superbly chosen and the overall look irresistibly fresh. Thanks for the inspiration.
Comment by Wendy — On April, 19th, 2008 at 4:18 am
hello bea!
these fishies look lovely. maybe you “went to town on them”?
Comment by esther — On April, 19th, 2008 at 5:53 am
[...] bought really nice mackerels,” I told P. when he called five minutes after I arrived home. “It’s a real [...]
Pingback by Dessert For One, or More — Dessert pour un, ou plusieurs by La Tartine Gourmande — On April, 19th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Many thanks everyone!
Comment by Béa — On April, 19th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
The phrase reminds me of a similar English one… when you invite people over for dinner, you sometimes say that you are “having them for dinner”, meaning you are having them OVER for dinner, like “We’re having Jane and John for dinner”. So it’s often made into a joke when discussing what you’re eating… for example, when looking at the lobsters in a tank, “Oh, don’t you look nice, we’re having a dinner party and we’d love to have you!”. Not the same, but similar.
Comment by Gia — On April, 24th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Discovered your site via an aficionado in Long Beach C.A. Love Mackerel, Close my eyes and I feel the meat, Smell and acquired taste. I will visit more often. Great work and appreciations from another French Man !
Comment by olivier lalin — On April, 27th, 2008 at 10:24 am
je viens de trouver ceci sur le net:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=417680
Comment by christophe — On April, 29th, 2008 at 7:48 am
I eat with soy sauce over the sardine which I roasted in Japan.I am interested in the food culture of your country. And I support your site. If there is time, please come in my site. From Japan
http://food-soybean.blogspot.com/
Comment by edamame — On May, 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
When was the last time a photo of a fish made someone cry? Seriously: the mackerel (which I’m crazy about) were so beautiful and plump, and that robins-egg background is my favorite color, and between the two, I got a little misty-eyed.
Comment by Jess — On May, 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pm