Homemade pickling of mackerel. Mackerel marinated with mustard

No holiday table can be imagined without fish dishes. Considering the ease of preparation and the availability of products, fish can be prepared not only for a holiday, but also every day.

Mackerel is a unique gift from the sea. Despite the fact that it is very high in calories, it is easily absorbed by the body and is an excellent source of protein. Contains a large amount of minerals and Omega-3 essential fatty acids, which improve brain function, vision, nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Mackerel does not have small bones and is perfect for gastronomic qualities specifically for salting, since it does not lose either fat content or juiciness.

The recipe for salting mackerel at home will certainly interest you due to its simplicity and accessibility.

And once you cook salted fish with your own hands, you will never buy it in a store again

Cooking secrets

Mackerel in onion peel

Ingredients:

• Mackerel – 3 pieces
• Salt – 3 tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tbsp.
• Brewing black tea – 2 tbsp
• Onion peels – 3 handfuls
• Water – 1.5 l

Preparation:

Thaw the fish, gut it, cut off the head and place in a container.

There is no need to remove the skin when eating mackerel prepared according to this recipe.

Prepare the brine. Rinse the onion peel well and soak for 10-15 minutes, put it in a saucepan, add salt, sugar, tea leaves and add water, and put on fire. After boiling, turn off the gas and leave until it cools completely.

Pour the prepared fish with strained brine, close it and put it in the refrigerator for three days.

Turn the fish over once a day to ensure even salting and coloring. After three days, remove the fish and wash it in running water.

Onion peel gives mackerel a golden color and a pleasant taste.Cut the fish into portions and serve.

Express salting

Ingredients:

• Mackerel – 1 piece
• Onion – 1 pc.
• Salt – 1 tbsp
• Water – 400 ml
• Allspice black pepper – 8 peas
• Bay leaf – 2 l

Preparation:

1. Thaw the fish, remove the head and tail, gut it, rinse well and dry with a paper towel.
2. Cut the carcass into pieces and 2 centimeters thick and place in a jar.
3. Prepare the brine. Bring the water to a boil, add all the spices and the onion cut into four parts. Cook the brine for 8 minutes and cool.
4. Pour the cooled brine over the fish, close the lid tightly and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
   The fish is ready, place it on a plate and garnish with onion rings and herbs.

Classic recipe

Ingredients:

• Mackerel – 1 piece
• Salt – 4 tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Vinegar -2 tbsp
• Allspice – 3 pcs.
• Black pepper – 3 pcs.
• Bay leaf – 3 l
• Water – 1 l

Preparation:

1. Wash the fish, gut it and cut into pieces.
2. Boil water in a saucepan, add salt, sugar and spices, boil the brine for 5 minutes.
3. After the brine has cooled, add vinegar
4. Place the fish in a glass container and fill with brine.
5. Leave the container with fish for a day at room temperature.

Dry salting

Ingredients:

• Mackerel – 2 pcs.
• Salt – 2-3 tbsp
• Sugar – 1 tbsp
• Bay leaf – 3 pcs.
• Coriander beans – 0.5 tbsp
• Allspice peas - 8-10 pcs.
• Vegetable oil
• Vinegar

Preparation:

We cut the fish for further salting: cut off the head, tail and fins, gut it, remove the inner black film and wash it thoroughly.
In this recipe, the fish can be cut into pieces or the whole carcass can also be used.

Sprinkle each carcass with the pickling mixture inside and out.

Place the fish on food foil and sprinkle the rest of the dry mixture on top. Wrap it in foil, put it in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

After time, wash off the excess salt, cut into medium circles and place on a clean, beautiful dish, sprinkle with oil and vinegar and decorate.

Lightly salted mackerel

Ingredients:

• Mackerel – 1-2 pieces
• Table salt (coarse) – 3-4 tbsp.
• Sugar – 1 tbsp
• Black peppercorns – 5 pcs.
• Sweet peas – 2 pcs.
• Bay leaf – 3 pcs.
• Mustard powder – 1 tbsp.
• Cloves (optional) 2 pcs.
• Water – 1 l.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the brine.
2. Place a pan of water on the fire, after boiling, add all the spices and boil for another three minutes. Cool the brine to room temperature.
3. We process the mackerel carcass - remove the gills, gut it, remove the black film from the belly.
4. Wash well.
5. Place the fish in a glass container and fill with brine. Cover tightly with a lid and place in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
6. After 12 hours, lightly salted fish is ready to eat. The fish can be cut into pieces, or salted whole, this will not affect the taste

The fish can be cut into pieces, or salted whole, this will not affect the taste

Marinated mackerel

Ingredients:

• Mackerel – 1 piece
• Table salt – 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Black peppercorns – 8 pcs.
• Sweet peas – 6 pcs.
• Bay leaf – 2 pcs.
• Coriander beans – 1/2 tbsp
• Cloves - 2 pcs.

Preparation:

Prepare the marinade. In a saucepan, combine 1 liter of water, salt, sugar, cloves, pepper, bay leaf and coriander. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let cool.

Prepare the mackerel: cut off the head, remove the entrails and rinse under cool running water.

Cut into portions.

Transfer to a container with an airtight lid. Pour over the cooled marinade and refrigerate for 1 day.

Remove the fish from the marinade, add onion and unrefined sunflower oil to taste.

How and with what to serve fish

Hello, readers of my blog! Today I’m writing how to pickle mackerel at home. After all, we are not always sure of the quality of fish that is sold at the market or in a store. Often they take stale fish for salting; it can be poorly salted or over-salted, which will affect the taste of the fish or your health. Often salted fish is stored in open containers not covered with brine; this causes the fish to become weathered and spoiled.

Therefore, if you want to be sure of the quality of salted mackerel, salt it yourself. To do this, choose only fresh fish, gray in color, without yellow spots.

Mackerel is a very tasty and fatty fish. I recommend including it in your diet regularly. At least once a week. Mackerel contains a lot of beneficial fatty acids such as Omega 3. These acids have a beneficial effect on vascular health, preventing the deposition of cholesterol plaques and reducing the formation of blood clots. And for the brain, the importance of Omega 3 is difficult to overestimate. The brain is 60% fat, and Omega 3 is necessary for it to function properly.

Omega 3 improves memory and is necessary at any age, even in utero. Therefore, it is important for pregnant women to receive the required dose of fish oil every day.

Fatty fish are the best source of Omega 3 fats. For plant sources of these fats, consider flaxseed oil. It is very good to drink flaxseed oil in the morning before meals, 1 tbsp. spoon.

Mackerel also contains a lot of highly digestible substances. Mackerel is also rich in various vitamins, macro- and microelements. For example, it contains a lot of vitamin D to strengthen bones, and contains sulfur, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, zinc, and selenium. In autumn, the amount of fat in mackerel increases, so it is especially valuable at this time of year.

Oven-baked mackerel recipes are waiting for you

How to pickle mackerel: classic salting.

Salting mackerel is easy. You need to prepare the brine that is poured into the fish. If you want to cook quickly, cut the mackerel into pieces, then it will be salted in 6 hours. If you salt it whole, then you need to keep the fish in the brine for at least 12 hours.

Ingredients:

• mackerel - 2 pcs.
• water - 700 ml
• salt (preferably not iodized) - 3 tbsp. l.
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l.
• bay leaf - 2 pcs.
• allspice peas - 3-4 pcs.

How to pickle mackerel: recipe with description.

It is better to defrost fish slowly, this way it will retain the maximum amount of nutrients. That is, the ideal option is to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

First, let's prepare the brine. Pour water into a saucepan, add salt, sugar, bay leaf, and pepper. Boil water until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. And leave the brine to cool.

Now we prepare the fish. Thawed mackerel needs to be washed, the head and fins cut off and the insides cleaned. Wash the fish well both inside and outside. Remove the black film in the middle. Pat clean fish dry with paper towels.

Cut the fish into portions. If desired, you can remove the backbone and bones and salt the fillet.

Now we put the pieces into a container in which the fish will be salted. This could be a jar, or a container, or an enamel saucepan. When the brine has cooled, pour it over the fish, close the jar with a lid and leave for 4 hours. Then you can put the mackerel in the refrigerator.

After 6 hours you can already eat. It turns out very tasty and tender. Even children eat with pleasure. Serve to taste: with onions, vegetable oil, lemon. This mackerel is good with potatoes, black bread (sandwich), and vegetables.

How to pickle mackerel with spicy salting.

If you want fish that is not just salted, but also spicy, you can use the following recipe. Spicy mackerel will be very useful on the holiday table.

For such a fish we will need:

• mackerel - 2-3 pcs.
• water - 3 glasses
• salt - 3 tbsp. spoons
• sugar - 1 tbsp
• lemon - 0.5 pcs.
• onion - 1 pc.
• peppercorns - 3-4 pcs.
• cloves - 2 pcs.
• bay leaf - 1 pc.

How to cook spicy salted mackerel.

1. Prepare the brine. Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add salt, sugar, pepper, cloves and bay leaf to the water. Dissolve salt and sugar in water and leave to cool.

You can add any spices to your taste. It could be garlic, ginger, herbs.

2. Wash the fish, cut off the head and fins, and remove the entrails. Wash thoroughly again and cut into pieces about 3 cm thick.

3. Peel the onion and cut into rings.

4. Cut half a lemon into cubes or wedges.

5. Place fish, lemon and onion in layers in a jar or saucepan. Instead of lemon, you can use lemon juice or fruit vinegar.

6. Pour the mackerel with cooled brine. Be sure to cover with a lid. Leave in a warm place for 3 hours. Then we put it in the refrigerator to salt. You can eat fish every other day. If you salt the fillet, it will be salted within 5 hours.

7. Set the table and enjoy your meal!

Mackerel prepared at home using any of the proposed methods is distinguished by its lightly salted taste, the absence of harmful components and a harmonious combination of spices included in the marinade.
Salted mackerel (1st method) will be ready in 6 hours, and pickled mackerel (2nd method) in a day.

Recipe No. 1. Quick dry salting of mackerel pieces

Taste Info From fish and seafood

Ingredients

• Salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• Sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon.

How to cook quick-salted mackerel in brine in pieces

Separate the tail, head and entrails from the fish carcass. Trim fins. Rinse it thoroughly, gut it and remove internal films.


Cut the mackerel into pieces of approximately 3-4 cm.


Mix fish pieces with salt and sugar.


Cover the bowl with fish with film and place in the refrigerator.
After 6 hours, remove the mackerel from the refrigerator. Wash each piece under running water to remove salt.
Pack the mackerel pieces tightly into a 750g jar.
Fill the filled jar with vegetable oil (a little will do, no more than 50 ml).


Place the jar of lightly salted mackerel in the refrigerator for storage. The fish is ready. Mackerel prepared using the dry salting method does not need to be put in a jar, but consumed immediately after rinsing off the salt.

Recipe No. 2. Marinated mackerel pieces in brine

The second way to get tasty fish is to prepare a marinade, which includes various spices, a little apple cider vinegar, salt, and sugar.
The result is marinated mackerel, which has absorbed all the flavors of the moderately sweetened and acidified brine. In addition, onions marinated with fish are a good addition to it.

So, pickled mackerel, which takes up the volume of a liter jar, will be made from 2 medium fish and the following ingredients:

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• Apple cider vinegar – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• Onion – 1 head;
• Salt – 2 teaspoons;
• Sugar – 0.5 teaspoon;
• Ground black pepper and cilantro - a third of a teaspoon each;
• Black pepper – 5 peas;
• Cloves – 6 pcs.

Cooking sequence:

Cut the fish as with the first salting method. Cut the onion into half rings.
Place mackerel cut into pieces into a jar, alternating it with onion half rings.
Boil 250 ml of water. Dissolve all the listed ingredients in water, except vinegar. When the solution boils for 1 minute, turn off the stove and add vinegar to the total mixture.
Pour the cooled marinade over the mackerel.


Close the jar with a plastic lid and place in the refrigerator for a day.
After the specified time, the marinated mackerel is ready.


Salted and marinated mackerel, prepared at home, are served with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs.

Who among us is indifferent to seafood dishes? Fish, shrimp, crabs, squid are our favorite seafood products, which are also very rich in substances necessary for our health. Salted fish is generally beyond competition, so the recipe for salting mackerel at home will certainly interest you with its simplicity and genius! Why go to retail outlets, look for a high-quality and fresh product, constantly doubting its safety, if we can prepare it ourselves?

Mackerel is a fish with a delicate taste and fatty (up to 17% fat) meat, which is rich in B vitamins, especially B12. This type of commercial fish does not have small bones and is perfect in its gastronomic qualities for salting and smoking. Fried and boiled mackerel is obviously a losing option due to the rapid loss of fat content and juiciness.

We will introduce you to two methods of salting mackerel at home: brine and dry. Both recipes are worthy of attention, and although their technologies differ, the result is always excellent! You'll lick your fingers!

Recipe for salting mackerel in brine

Ingredients

• Mackerel - 2 whole carcasses + -
• Coriander beans- 0.5 tsp. + -
• - 5-6 peas + -
• Allspice peas- 4-5 peas + -
• Bay leaf - 3-4 leaves + -
• - 2-2.5 tbsp. l. + -
• - 1 tbsp. l. + -

Preparation

1. Thaw the fish at room temperature, clean out the insides and rinse thoroughly. The head can be left, just as the insides cannot be cleaned out.

2. Place the fish carcasses in a suitable container - a glass jar or container with a food-grade plastic lid. Sprinkle with prepared spices: pepper, coriander and laurel leaves.

3. Dissolve salt and sugar in 500 ml of cold boiled water and pour this brine over the mackerel in the container so that the fish “swims” in the salt solution.

4. Close the container with the fish with a lid and put it in the refrigerator! After a day, you can already make a test “for potatoes”, but still, high-quality salting is observed only from the third for salting.

As they say, “you can’t help but be tempted”!

Recipe for salting mackerel with onions

This salting option is notable for the very mild taste of the finished product, and within a day the fish is waiting for you to eat!

For two carcasses you will need 1 large onion, 5 laurel leaves, 5-6 buds of cloves, 10 peas of allspice and the same amount of black bitter. Sprinkle the gutted, headless fish with spices, cover with onion rings and fill with cold marinade.

Marinade: 500 ml water, 2.5 tbsp rock salt, 1.5 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp. vegetable oil and 1 tbsp dry mustard (optional).

Mix all the ingredients of the marinade (except mustard) and bring to a boil. Turn off, cool slightly and add mustard. Stir thoroughly and wait for the solution to cool completely. Only then pour the fish with spices. We place the container with pickling in the common chamber of the refrigerator.

A day later we enjoy delicious salted fish!

Recipe for dry salting mackerel

This method of salting fish is surprisingly simple and amazing with the resulting taste characteristics.

To dry salt mackerel we need: the fish itself (2 pieces), salt (2 heaped tablespoons), sugar (1 tablespoon) and 1 tablespoon of coriander beans.

Preparing the pickling dry mixture b: mix salt, sugar and coriander.

We cut up the mackerel for further salting: cut off the head and tail, remove the entrails, remove the inner black film and rinse thoroughly under running water. Cut the carcasses into large pieces - each into 4 parts. Sprinkle each fish piece with the pickling mixture outside and inside and place in an enamel or glass container with a lid. Sprinkle the remaining dry mixture onto the surface of the fish slices and cover with a lid. Place in the refrigerator for a day.

After the required 24 hours (you can salt it a little longer), rinse the mackerel pieces with water and place them on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Prepare onions for easy marinating of fish. Peel a couple of onions, cut into rings and mix with a tablespoon of vinegar or the juice of half a lemon. We mash the onion with our hands so that the onion and lemon juices mix in a marinade dance.

Cover the bottom of the food container with a layer of onion, put salted fish pieces on top, then again a layer of onion and a layer of fish, and finish with a layer of onion. Pour the marinade left over from the onions on top. Place under a small press and refrigerate for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, we serve an appetizer that is unsurpassed in its taste and aroma!

Salting mackerel at home is an incomparable culinary pleasure that easily competes with the most famous producers of salted fish. Once you try to cook salted fish with your own hands, you will never buy it in stores again!

Lightly salted mackerel, prepared with your own hands, is an excellent dish for a festive and everyday table. You can choose one of many recipes and delight your family with a new version of fish every time. Our selection will help you make your choice, and thanks to some tips, you can easily cope with cutting.

How to choose fish

Please note the following when purchasing. Good fresh mackerel has clear eyes and a silvery, shiny skin without damage. Give preference to chilled rather than frozen fish. Mackerel weighing 400 grams or more is fattier and tastier than small mackerel.

Preliminary preparation

Proper cleaning and cutting is the key to getting delicious lightly salted mackerel. At home, coping with the task is not at all difficult.

Rinse the carcasses in running water. If you plan to salt the fish along with the head, be sure to remove the gills. Remove the entrails, being careful not to damage the gallbladder. Mackerel liver should not be eaten.

Cutting

Many professionals advise cutting fish not from the belly, but from the back. This method works great for fatty mackerel:

1. Cut off the head.
2. Make a cut along the spine and remove the dorsal fin at the same time.
3. Run the blade of a knife along the spine, separating the fillet, and then do the same on the other side.
4. Cut the spine near the tail (this can be done with scissors).

Be sure to remove the black film lining the inside of the belly, otherwise it will give the finished dish a bitter taste.

Dry salting

This is a very simple and popular way of salting fish. You will get delicious lightly salted mackerel. The recipe with photo clearly shows that the structure of the meat is perfectly preserved. This fish can easily be cut into thin, neat pieces.

To salt one carcass you will need a tablespoon of salt and 1.5 tsp. Sahara. Mix these ingredients and distribute evenly over the prepared carcass. You can pickle both chopped pieces and whole fish.

Place the dish with fish in the refrigerator, and after 3 hours, drain the released liquid. You can eat lightly salted, dry-salted mackerel the very next day.

For this recipe (and for others too) you should never use aluminum cookware. Give preference to plastic or glass.

Spicy Ambassador

This recipe for homemade lightly salted mackerel will appeal to those who love aromatic fish:

1. Cut it into pieces and place it in a jar, layering it with onion half rings. Add a few peas of allspice and a couple of bay leaves. If you like cloves, add those too.
2. Boil 2 cups of water, add 2 tbsp. l. salt and half the sugar.
3. Pour hot brine over the fish, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and send to a cool, dark place.
4. In just 3 hours you will be able to serve this delicious appetizer to the table.

The amount of brine is designed for 2 medium-sized carcasses.

Lightly salted mackerel with lemon

Another recipe looks like this:

1. First of all, pour 2 tablespoons of salt and a teaspoon of sugar into water (0.5 l).
2. Prepare 2 carcasses. You can cut them and remove the ridges, or you can simply clean them of the insides.
3. Cut a large onion into thin half rings. Cut one lemon into slices.
4. Place the fish in a glass bowl, layering with onion and lemon, fill with brine, add spices to taste. Peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, cumin, asafoetida, and dried dill are suitable.

The fish will be ready in about ten hours.

Sugudai

This wonderful recipe is very common in the northern regions. They know a lot about fish!

1. Cut 3 carcasses into large pieces, remove the fins.
2. Chop a few onions into rings or strips, as you like.
3. Chop a large bunch of wild garlic as finely as possible and mix with onion. Add 1.5 tablespoons of salt, a pinch of sugar. Place fish and vegetables in layers in a container.

Lightly salted mackerel will be ready the next day. The fish turns out very aromatic, beautiful and juicy. And wild garlic makes this dish also healthy.

This recipe can be used to cook not only mackerel, it is perfect for herring, Baltic herring, tuna, silver carp, saury and cod.

Golden mackerel

The following recipe for lightly salted mackerel at home will appeal to those who love smoked fish:

1. Prepare the brine. Boil 3-4 large handfuls of onion peels and 2 tablespoons of tea (with bergamot) in a liter of water.
2. Pour 4 tbsp into the broth. l. salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar, wait until completely dissolved.
3. Add 1 tsp. turmeric. You will end up with a rich golden brown liquid.
4. Place 4 whole mackerel, cleaned of entrails, into it and leave for a day. Before serving, it is recommended to hang the fish by its tails over the sink to drain off excess liquid.

Mackerel prepared according to this recipe is not very salty, spicy, and golden. If you want to enhance the smoking effect, add 1-2 tablespoons of the “Liquid Smoke” flavoring additive to the fish during salting.

Heh

This wonderful recipe was given to the world by Korea. To prepare such a lightly salted snack, a ready-made mixture of seasonings for Korean dishes is perfect:

1. Chop 2 carcasses, cleared of bones, skin and entrails. Place in a bowl, interspersed with onion rings. If desired, you can add carrots grated on a Korean grater - this will only decorate the appetizer.
2. Mix a tablespoon of soy sauce with the juice of one lemon and two limes. Add the pressed garlic.
3. Pour the marinade over the fish.
4. Leave to marinate for an hour.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan, pour into the appetizer and stir quickly.

You can serve the heh immediately or let it brew for several hours.

Serving and garnishing

Lightly salted mackerel forms wonderful harmonious unions with most side dishes. It goes well with potatoes: mashed potatoes, boiled in their skins, cooked in slices in a rustic way, baked over a fire.

Any vegetable side dishes go with it: stewed cabbage, stew, grilled vegetables. Funchose and glass noodles go well with lightly salted mackerel. Traditional types of pasta are also good.

Fish is usually served in separate dishes: bowls, salad bowls, flat dishes, herring bowls. For decoration you can use citrus zest, young herbs, black olives, gherkins, and viburnum berries.