How to Pickle Mackerel at Home

Homemade pickles are rightfully considered universal dishes. They are used to make sandwiches, salads, and the product is used as an independent snack. Salty mackerel, which has an exquisite taste due to the cooked marinade, gained particular popularity. This type of fish has a lot of useful properties, its composition contains much more protein than in meat, eggs, cottage cheese. In addition, the product includes a sufficient amount of fats and omega acids, which favorably affect the heart muscle.

How to salt mackerel: preparation

Before proceeding with the preparation of the marinade, it is necessary to prepare the appropriate dishes and cut the fish properly. Consider the important aspects in order.

Inventory:

• capacity (deep bowl);
• pan with a lid for the preparation of marinade;
• cutting board;
• knife with a wide and sharp blade;
• glass jar or container;
• polyethylene film.

The most time-consuming process is considered to be cutting fish. To properly carry out the procedure, cut off the fins, tail, head. Next, remove with the tweezers possible tail / fin residues that cling to the finger, causing discomfort. After that, cut the carcass along the belly, go with a knife deeper into the fish cavity, do not touch the ridge.

Remove the insides, twist the fish slightly in the fin area, clean off the dark formations. Wash the carcass thoroughly in running water, dry with paper towels or towels. Place on a dry surface so that excess moisture evaporates.

Pickled Mackerel: A Classic Recipe

• table vinegar (concentration 9%) - 55 ml.
• onions - 2 pcs. medium size
• mackerel - 1 pc. (about 400 gr.)
• coarse salt - 90 gr.
• ground black pepper - 5 gr.
• ground red pepper - 3 gr.
• chili pepper (optional) - 2 gr.
• sugar beet - 25 gr.
• lemon - 1 pc.
• olive or vegetable oil - 50 ml.

1. Take prepared peeled mackerel, if desired, remove the ridge, remove bones with kitchen or manicure tweezers. Dry the carcass with paper towels.
2. Cut the mackerel along the abdomen into 2 equal parts. Make sure that the knife penetrates deep into the cavity of the carcass, otherwise the pieces will be torn.
3. Mix table salt (crushed sea is suitable) with red and black pepper. If desired, add chili in small quantities. Rub the inside and outside of the fish with the mixture, put the halves on top of each other.
4. Wrap the mackerel in a cling film or bag, wrap tightly so that no air enters the cavity. Place on a plate, send to the middle shelf of the refrigerator, wait 20-24 hours for a thorough salting.
5. After the specified time, remove the fish, wash it with running water, dry with napkins or a towel. Proceed to pickling onions.
6. Cut the fruits into rings / half rings, place them in a bowl, pour in the vinegar solution and pour in the granulated sugar. Stir, add 30 ml. filtered (thawed, boiled) water.
7. Remember onion half rings with palms so that juice comes out of them. Press the composition with your hands, leave it for a quarter of an hour (as long as possible).
8. Take the pickled halves of mackerel, put them on a serving dish, sprinkle with sunflower or olive oil, lemon juice, pour vinegar.
9. Cut half the lemon into half rings, place on top of the carcass, do the same with pickled onions. The serving is completed, if desired, you can also decorate the mackerel with chopped dill.

Mackerel with cloves and basil

• granulated sugar - 25 gr.
• mackerel - 1 pc. (weight about 350-400 gr.)
• bay leaf - 4 pcs.
• cloves - 5 buds
• coriander - 10 gr.
• basil - 8 gr.
• lemon juice - 15 ml.
• small salt (sea or iodized) - 55 gr.

1. Make an enameled pan with a thick bottom and walls. Pour 275-300 ml into it. drinking water, add bay leaf, granulated sugar (preferably cane), salt, cloves, coriander, basil.
2. Turn the burner to the middle mark, bring the mass to a boil, reduce the power to a minimum, simmer the brine for 5 minutes. When the sugar and salt crystals have completely melted, remove the marinade from the heat.
3. Cover the pan with a lid, wrap with a towel, let cool at room temperature until it is warm.
4. Take the prepared carcass of a mackerel, make sure that all the fins, tail and head are cut off. Remove the insides, cut the fish into thick slices.
5. Prepare a container (can be replaced by a jar) with a hermetically sealed lid. Put the pieces of mackerel into the container, fill the cavity with the prepared marinade.
6. Put in a refrigerator, soak for about 24-30 hours. At the end of the time, remove the fish, sprinkle with lemon juice, serve with jacket potatoes.

Cinnamon Mackerel

• purified water - 1.2 l.
• mackerel - 1 pc. (weighing about 400 gr.)
• chopped sea salt - 225 gr.
• table vinegar (6-9%) - 30 ml.
• lemon juice - 15 ml.
• bay leaf - 7 pcs.
• white onion - 1 pc.
• pepper (peas) - 15-18 pcs.
• ground cinnamon - 3-5 gr.

1. If you missed the preparation stage, then you need to gut the fish. Cut off the head, fins, tail, scrape off the dark film with a knife. Wash the carcass, pat it with paper towels, leave for 20 minutes.
2. Start cooking brine. Choose a wide enameled pan with a thick bottom, pour drinking water into it, add crushed salt in an amount of 225-250 gr. Send bay leaf, peppercorns, ground or capsicum (5 g) to the bowl.
3. Turn on the stove at minimum power, bring the solution to a boil, remove the composition from the heat. Cover, leave at room temperature for 40-60 minutes.
4. Place the mackerel in a jar or container with a lid, you can pre-cut the fish into pieces. Pour the product with warm brine, cork and refrigerate for three days.
5. Marinate the onion: cut it into rings / half rings, add table vinegar and lemon juice, wait 20 minutes. Take the fish out of the refrigerator, put it on a dish, place onion rings next to it.

Pickled Mackerel in 3 Hours

• drinking water (filtered, thawed) - 375 ml.
• mackerel - 1 pc. (weight about 350-400 gr.)
• yellow onion - 1 pc.
• crushed salt - 40 gr.
• peas - 10 pcs.
• bay leaf - 7 pcs.
• lemon juice - 25 ml.
• dill, parsley (fresh) - for decoration

1. Prepare a pot with a volume of 3-5 liters, pour in drinking water, put on the stove. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat, then pour in salt and granulated sugar, add peppercorns and bay leaf.
2. Stir the solution periodically to completely dissolve the sugar and salt granules. At this time, cut onions into 4-8 parts, after peeling it from the husk. Send the pieces to the pan, cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
3. After the time has passed, turn off the hotplate, cover the container and let the mixture cool at room temperature. The exposure time ranges from 40 to 60 minutes, the final composition should turn out to be slightly warm.
4. Cut the gutted and washed mackerel into medium sized pieces, put in a container or jar. Pour the resulting brine, clog, send to the refrigerator for 2.5-3 hours.
5. After that, get the fish, place it on a plate with the pulp up, drizzle with lemon juice, garnish with chopped dill and parsley.Serve with boiled potatoes or steamed vegetables.

Mackerel in tea brine

• granulated sugar (cane or beetroot) - 120 gr.
• small salt - 120 gr.
• fresh or fresh-frozen mackerel - 2 pcs. (800 gr.)
• black tea long leaf (leaf) - 60 gr.

1. To get started, prepare a mackerel. If you used a frozen product, first defrost it naturally. In cases with fresh fish, this step can be skipped.
2. Cut the tail, head and fins of the carcass, clean the cavity from the insides, remove the dark film. Wash the fish under the tap, dry with paper towels.
3. Pour leaf tea with boiling water, wait half an hour, strain. If necessary, heat, pour salt and granulated sugar, wait for the crystals to dissolve.
4. Pour the brine into a glass jar, put the whole mackerel or cut it into portions. Close the lid, send to the refrigerator for 5 days.
5. At the end of the specified period, remove the carcass, hang it over the sink in a convenient way (hook, net), so that the glass has excess liquid (about 10-12 hours).
6. Serve mackerel with stewed vegetables, boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, garnish with herbs, and if desired, sprinkle with lemon juice or vinegar.

Pickled Mackerel: Dry Ambassador

• granulated sugar - 30 gr.
• coriander (grains) - 20 gr.
• mackerel - 2 pcs. (total weight about 750-800 gr.)
• food salt - 80 gr.
• onions - 2 pcs.
• lemon juice - 35 ml.
• table vinegar - 20 ml.

1. Combine granulated sugar, salt and coriander grains in one loose mixture. Cut fish by removing fins, tail and head. Clean the cavity from the film, wash it under the tap, dry it with paper towels or towels.
2. Cut two carcasses into equal pieces, grease each portion with the prepared loose mixture, both inside and out. Place the fish in a glass jar or plastic container, sprinkle with the rest of the salting on top.
3. Close the container with a lid, refrigerate for 25-30 hours. After the set time, remove the pieces from the jar, rinse with water. Cover a flat surface with paper towels in 3-4 layers, put fish on them so that the glass is excess moisture.
4. Peel and chop the onions in half rings, place it in a bowl, add lemon juice and vinegar. Remember to let the juice stand out, leave for a quarter of an hour.
5. Garnish slices of mackerel with pickled onions, serve with mashed potatoes, stewed vegetables, boiled potatoes. You can also add fish to the salad or use as an independent appetizer.

It is easy to salt the mackerel at home, if you have sufficient knowledge regarding the technology for the preparation of marinade. Use the recipe with the addition of ground cinnamon, coriander, basil. Sprinkle the final product with table vinegar or lemon juice, garnish with chopped parsley and dill. Experiment with the amount of salt, customize the recipes for you. Do not violate the exposure time of the product in the marinade, so as not to spoil the taste.

Video: how to pickle mackerel in brine