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Glite Dictionary
smoked mackerel

smoked mackerel

2.5
A mackerel fish that people keep longer and cook near burning wood to add taste
  • noun
  • /smoʊkt ˈmækərəl/
translation icon : caballa ahumada
  • The chef prepared a savory dish featuring smoked mackerel paired with pickled vegetables.
  • smoked mackerel salad

Examples

  • And for your carnivore boyfriend, tea-smoked mackerel with duck egg.

    Burnt (2015)

  • Smoked mackerel and egg?

    A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

  • Inhaling the pungent smell of pickles and smoked mackerel, I was reminded of my grandmother and home and had to bite down hard on my lower lip to keep from crying.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • For lunch, I made a delicious salad with smoked mackerel and fresh greens.

  • He enjoyed a hearty breakfast of toast topped with smoked mackerel and sliced tomatoes.

Surface Forms

smoked mackerel singular
smoked mackerels plural

Morphology

smoked + mackerel

The meaning 'mackerel preserved and flavored by smoking' is directly and compositionally derived from the adjective 'smoked' (cured with smoke) modifying the noun 'mackerel' (a fish). This adjective+noun food-labeling pattern is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Smoked mackerel — The name smoked mackerel comes from the simple kitchen picture of hanging mackerel over a wood fire so the smoked fish dries and takes on a strong flavor. So, it means 'mackerel that has been preserved and flavored by smoking'.