Whole lightly salted mackerel. How to pickle mackerel pieces. Salt mackerel without vinegar

In a dispute between salted herring and mackerel, the latter often wins. And, to tell the truth, not without reason. Mackerel is a fatty, tender fish, and there are far fewer bones in it. And we like salted mackerel so much that we even like a sacred herring salad under a fur coat! - some take the plunge and instead of herring finely chop mackerel.

Salted mackerel at home is very tasty and not difficult. It's time to go get some fresh frozen mackerel!

It is important to make useful contacts in the fish aisles at the local market. There, out of friendship, they will sell you really fresh, fatty, unbroken, not defrosted or overfrozen fish. Some sellers sort the fish, giving a discount on smaller samples. But their choice mackerel weighs half a kilo, or even more! In chain supermarkets, the quality of mackerel is traditionally lower; for some reason the fish there is always on the thin side. The fattest mackerel is in winter.

Having bought the best mackerel, do not rush to defrost it in the microwave or in hot water. Be patient and place the frozen mackerel on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. While the fish is defrosting, pay attention to our recipes and choose the most suitable one!

Mackerel can be salted in three ways: a whole ungutted carcass (as in the store), semi-gutted (without entrails) or pieces. According to true experts, the most delicious salted mackerel at home is obtained when you salt it whole. It is very tender and never oversalted - the skin does not allow excess salt to pass through. If you salt half-gutted mackerel or pieces, it is important to strictly observe the proportions and holding time.

One final tip: If you don't trim the head off the mackerel carcass, be sure to remove the gills as they are bitter. To salt whole mackerel, make sure that the skin is not damaged, otherwise you risk oversalting the fish.

So, let's begin. The first recipes are for whole carcasses. This is the easiest way to learn how to salt mackerel, almost a win-win.

Whole mackerel salted at home

Ingredients for one carcass:
3-5 tbsp. coarse salt,
1 tbsp. Sahara,
1 tsp ground black pepper,
spices (mustard beans, dried dill, bay leaf, etc.).

Preparation:
Rub the defrosted fish with the curing mixture and place in a bag. Place in the refrigerator for three days. During this time, open the bag several times and distribute the salt over the fish carcasses. Before use, wash off the salt from the carcasses and pat dry with paper towels.

Mackerel in brine
This method is only suitable for whole carcasses; you don’t even need to remove the gills from them so that the fish does not oversalt. Brine is prepared as follows: salt is added by spoonfuls into water (an amount sufficient to cover the whole carcass) at constant boiling until it stops dissolving. Remove the solution from the heat, add a spoonful of sugar, a couple of cloves, 5-6 peas of allspice, 2-3 bay leaves, a teaspoon of mustard seeds. Cool the solution and pour over the fish. Place in the refrigerator, covered, for two days. Make sure that the skin is not damaged, otherwise the fish will be over-salted. You can store cooked fish for 5-6 days, no more.

Homemade salted mackerel “Like smoked”

Ingredients:
3 mackerel,
6 stacks water,
3-4 tbsp. salt,
2-3 tbsp. dry brewed black tea (without flavorings),
1.5 tbsp. Sahara,
3-4 handfuls of onion peels,
spices - to taste and desire.

Preparation:
Rinse the onion peels under running water, place in a saucepan, add salt, sugar and tea leaves, add water and put on fire. Once the brine boils, remove it from the heat and let cool to room temperature. After removing the gills, place the defrosted fish in a container and fill it with filtered brine. Leave it on the table for an hour, then put it in the cold for three days. Turn the fish over periodically to ensure even salting and coloring. Remove the finished mackerel from the brine, wipe dry with paper towels, tie a string on the tails and hang over the sink for 6-8 hours. The fish will dry out a little and will be indistinguishable from store-bought smoked fish.

Dry salted mackerel

Ingredients:
2 mackerel carcasses,
2-3 tbsp. salt,
1 tbsp. Sahara,
3 bay leaves,
5-6 peas of allspice,
ground black pepper.

Preparation:
Gut the mackerel, defrosted according to all the rules, remove the black film from the belly, cut off the head and rinse well. You can dry it with paper towels outside and inside. Mix salt and sugar, add peppercorns and broken bay leaf, pour part of the mixture into the bottom of the container. Rub the mixture inside and outside the fish, place it in a container, sprinkle the remaining salt on top and close the lid or cover with cling film. Place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Before eating, remove salt from fish.

Spicy salted mackerel in a jar

Ingredients:
1-2 mackerel,
1 onion,
500 ml water,
2-3 tbsp. salt,
1 tbsp. Sahara,
5-6 peas of allspice,
1 tbsp. mustard seeds,
2-3 bay leaves.

Preparation:
Gut the defrosted fish, remove the head and cut into pieces. Pour salt and sugar into the water, add pepper, bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cool. Cut the onion into rings. Place the food in a jar, alternating pieces of fish and onions, sprinkling with mustard seeds. Fill with brine and place the jar in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours. Store cooked fish for no more than five days in the refrigerator.

Instant mackerel fillet

Ingredients:
2 mackerel carcasses,
2 tbsp. salt,
1 tbsp. Sahara,
1 tsp ground black pepper,
1 tsp allspice.

Preparation:
Thaw the mackerel, gut it, cut off the head and fillet it. Remove the skin. Cut the fillet crosswise into slices. Place the fish in a wide glass container in layers, sprinkling with the salting mixture. Cover with a plate and set pressure. Leave in the refrigerator for 7-8 hours.

Salted mackerel at home in any way when serving can be arranged with onion rings and sprinkled with table vinegar or lemon juice. This is great, friends!

Bon appetit and new culinary discoveries!

Larisa Shuftaykina

Juicy mackerel meat is not only healthy, but also tasty. This salted fish can be a table decoration, either as an appetizer or as a separate dish. You can prepare it at home quickly and easily, the main thing is to stick to the recipe and strictly follow the tips and recommendations in this article.

How to pickle mackerel at home - recipe features

The dish will turn out delicious if you use fresh fish carcasses for salting. But you can cook fish from frozen meat, just defrost it first at room temperature.
When purchasing fresh fish, pay attention to its freshness. The eyes should be slightly bulging and transparent, and the skin should be free of damage and yellow spots. Give preference to large or medium-sized carcasses - their meat will be more flavorful when salted.
Before using fish for a recipe, it must be prepared. Fresh carcasses must be washed to remove any possible contamination. Then cut off the head and all fins.

Using a sharp knife, cut the belly, remove the entrails and remove the black film from the inside of the carcass. After this, rinse the fish well under running water and dry with paper towels.

Some housewives like to salt the fish head on. In this case, you need to buy already gutted carcasses or fresh frozen ones.
If you want to speed up the salting process, then cut the carcass into pieces.
There are several recipes for making salted mackerel, which differ in the amount of spices. But the main options for pickling are the dry method and in brine.

How to salt mackerel at home using the dry method

This is the simplest and fastest way to cook fish, which does not require soaking the meat in the marinade.

Ingredients for the recipe:

mackerel – 5 pcs. 400-450 gr.;
salt – 6 tbsp. l.;
sugar – 2 tbsp. l.;
spices to taste.

Advice. To ensure even salting of meat, use sea salt, preferably coarsely ground. It will slowly dissolve and gradually saturate the fish with salt. Also use brown sugar for the recipe, it is healthier and more flavorful.

Preparation progress:

Cleaned and washed fish must be dried to remove excess moisture. If you wish, you can cut the carcass into portioned pieces, but the fish as a whole cooks quickly.
In a separate container, mix salt and sugar. If you like to use other spices for fish, then add them to the dry mixture. For one fish you will need about 1.5 tbsp. l. spices

Take one carcass, open the belly with your hands and pour in sugar and salt.

Using your fingers, gently rub the mixture into the meat all over the inside of the fish.

Place a little salt and sugar at the bottom of the container where the fish will be salted. Place the carcass on top and sprinkle with the pickling mixture again.

Prepare the rest of the fish in the same way. Cover the container with gauze or cloth on top and refrigerate for a day.
After the specified time, remove the carcasses, wash them from salt and spices. Place on a kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture.
When serving, cut the carcass into portions, pour vegetable oil on top and garnish with chopped herbs.

How to pickle mackerel at home - spicy salting

If you prefer mackerel meat with a rich flavor of spices, then prepare the fish in the following way.

You will need the following products per carcass:

water – 220 ml;
sea salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
spices (bay leaf, black pepper and allspice, cloves, coriander) - to taste.

Recipe:

For this salting method, you will additionally need a container. It is best to use a plastic container with a tight lid.
Prepare the fish and place it in containers. Try to place the carcasses as tightly as possible so that they do not float during salting.

Pour filtered water into a saucepan, place it on the stove and boil. Then add spices, salt and sugar. Boil the brine for a couple more minutes, remove from the stove and cool to room temperature.

Pour the cold marinade over the fish, cover with a lid and refrigerate for 2-4 days. Determine the salting time yourself depending on the desired taste.

The fish is served to the table, cut into pieces and seasoned with any vegetable oil and onions.

How to salt mackerel at home - lightly salted recipe

This method of preparing salted fish is suitable for a large number of carcasses and will be appreciated by lovers of its delicate taste.

You will need the following ingredients:

fresh fish – 5 kg;
coarse salt – 1 kg.

For the marinade:

water – 2 l.;
sea salt – 0.5 kg.

Cooking method:

Rinse the carcasses and remove the entrails, but do not cut the belly. This can be done through the gills.

Make a weak salt solution. Dissolve 0.5 kg in cold water. salt. Submerge the fish in water for 5 minutes. Then remove the carcasses, place them on a towel and let the water drain.

Sprinkle the bottom of the pickling container with salt, place the fish and add salt on top. For one carcass you will need 1 tbsp. l. salt. Set the pressure and leave it in the refrigerator for a day.

To make the brine, boil water, let it cool and dissolve the rest of the salt in it (400 g).

After the specified time, drain the excess liquid after salting the fish and fill with brine. In this state, mackerel can be stored in a cool place for a week.

By following these simple recipes, you can quickly salt mackerel at home without much difficulty. Bon appetit!

Budget mackerel fish, after home-salting, will turn into an original and tasty dish. A variety of recipes will help you prepare a fish additive for salads, a topping for sandwiches and an independent delicacy. Today we’ll talk about how to pickle mackerel in brine, so that every time you can delight your family with new shades of the usual taste.

The benefits of salted fish

Mackerel is one of the healthiest fish. It contains a lot of vitamins and essential amino acids.

participation in DNA synthesis;
helps saturate cells with oxygen;
prevents cancer;
increases blood hemoglobin levels;
strengthens the immune system;
sharpens memory;
relieves pain due to arthrosis.

The calorie content of the lightly salted delicacy is 190-280 kcal/100 g.

Preparing fillets for salting

To cook any recipe you need to know how to properly prepare fish.

The fillet is prepared as follows:

Take your time to defrost the fish. There is no need to speed up this process. Defrosting should only take place on a shelf in the refrigerator.
After this, open the fish belly with a sharp knife, remove the insides and scrape out the black films so that the prepared dish does not become bitter.
Cut off the head, tail and all fins.
Depending on the recipe, cut the mackerel into 2-3 cm portions, or leave the carcass whole.
Wash the workpiece thoroughly under running clean water.

What to serve with

There are many ways to beautifully serve mackerel, mostly it all depends on the imagination of the hostess.

Serving options:

Arrange the pieces beautifully on a flat dish, sprinkle finely chopped green onions on top, and drizzle with fragrant oil.
Place a thin slice of lemon, cranberry or juniper berry on the fish slices.
Place thin rings of red Crimean onion, cherry tomatoes or an olive on top of the pieces.
For sophistication, add a bed of lettuce leaves, carrot flowers and quartered boiled eggs.
Small canapes with a slice of salted fish look great.

How is the snack stored?

There is no need to store the marinated delicacy for a long time, so there is no need to cook large quantities of fish for future use. The marinade can be stored for no more than 3 days, because every day the fish will become more and more salted. To extend shelf life, remove the fish pieces from the marinade, place them in a washed plastic container, and sprinkle with vegetable aromatic oil. This way it will keep in the cold for about a week.

A simple and delicious express recipe

Recipe for salted mackerel in brine according to GOST. Adding spices depends on taste. If you like it, leave the recipe without spices, and the fish will remain tasty and lightly salted.

Required:

meaty carcasses - 2 medium pieces;
salt (without additives) - 2 tbsp. l.;
granulated sugar - 1 tbsp. l. without a mound;
onion - 1 medium head;
bay leaf - 3-4 leaves;
black and allspice peas - to your own taste;
purified water - 0.5 l.

Cooking rules:

Cut the fish into portions.
To pour, pour water into a small saucepan, throw in peppercorns and bay leaves. Salt and sweeten the marinade. Place on high heat and boil for 3 minutes. Cool the liquid.
Mix the slices and onion rings into a glass container.
Cover the workpiece with marinade, cover it tightly with a lid and hide it in the bottom of the refrigerator for 12 hours.

The prepared dish can be safely served for lunch.

Smoked recipe with tea

The dish will turn out not only deliciously tasty, but also with a very beautiful golden hue of the skin.

Ingredients:

carcasses - 4 medium pieces;
tea leaves without impurities and flavorings - 3 tbsp. l.;
clean drinking water - 1 l;
granulated sugar - 3 tbsp. l. without top;
coarse sea salt - 3 tbsp. l. without top.

Cooking plan:

First of all, you need to make the marinade. Dissolve the bulk ingredients in 1 liter of water and send the tea leaves. Send the liquid to the stove, turning on medium heat.
Boil the filling for 4 minutes and let it cool.
Strain the warm marinade through a strainer and immerse the mackerel until it is completely submerged in the liquid.
The fish should remain in this pot for 4 days.

At the end of the period, the aromatic snack is ready to eat. Cut the plastushka into portioned slices. Place on a piece of fresh bread and enjoy.

Marinade in onion skins

This is a time-tested recipe that is also considered original. The absence of spices and the bright color from the husk will give you lightly salted and slightly golden fish.

Required:

carcasses - 3 large pieces;
onion peel - from 5 heads;
coarse sea salt - 2 tbsp. l. without top;
clean drinking water - 1 l.

Wash the husk with water, drain the liquid, and fill it with water again. Let the husks sit in the water for about 20 minutes.
The fish can be cut into slices or left whole.
Throw salt into the brine and dissolve it. Put it on gas and let the brew boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Place the meaty flatbreads in the liquid and let it simmer for 3 minutes.

Remove the fish to a plate, sprinkling lightly with lemon juice. Garnish with a sprig of dill and other herbs.

Citrus marinade

If you salt mackerel in citrus brine, the fish will reveal an absolutely original and delicate taste. The marinade is used hot, and the salting takes place very quickly.

Components:

large carcasses - 2 pieces;
Crimean onions - 2 heads;
celery root - 1 stalk;
zest from 1 large lemon;
salt - a pinch at your personal discretion;
freshly ground black pepper - 1 tsp;
ground coriander seeds - 1 tbsp. spoon;
vegetable oil - 1⁄2 cup;
natural orange juice - 1.5 cups.

Step by step process

Place the fish fillet in a plastic container, add salt, ground pepper and coriander.
Cover the container with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Using a grater, remove the zest from the lemon without the very top bitter layer.
Finely chop the celery root and Crimean onions. Heat the oil a little in a frying pan and add the vegetables. Throw in the lemon zest and orange juice and heat for about 5 minutes.
Pour the hot brine into the container with mackerel, cool slightly, cover with cling film. Place the preparation in the refrigerator.

Within an hour, the tender, lightly cooked appetizer is ready to appear on the table.

Recipe in a bottle with liquid smoke

A cooking method for those who like to occasionally enjoy smoked meats.

fatty fish - 3 pieces;
liquid smoke - 1/3 cup;
sugar and fine salt - 3 tbsp. l. without slide;
strong tea - 1 glass;
clean drinking water - 3 l;
black peppercorns - 6 pcs;
carnation roses - 6 pcs;
garlic cloves - 4 pcs;
bay leaf - 4 leaves;
chili pepper - 1 pc. without seeds.

Preparation step by step:

Pour water into a container and boil.
Throw sugar into boiling water and pour in a glass of tea. Let the filling simmer for 15 minutes.
Place the fish fillet in a 3-liter jar, season with spices and pressed garlic. Pour liquid smoke in there. Place the entire filling into a bottle with fish, and close the workpiece with a nylon lid.
The mackerel stands on the refrigerator shelf for 3 days.
Remove the fillet from the marinade and cut into small portions.

Juicy and tasty fish with a rich smoky aroma and golden skin is ready to be served.

Salting under pressure

An interesting quick method for salting mackerel when guests are almost on the doorstep. The fish will turn out tender, lightly salted and very appetizing.

Ingredients:

meaty fish - 3 pieces;
red sweet onion - 3 pcs;
purified water - 1 l;
fine salt without additives - 3 tbsp. l. without slide;
granulated sugar - 1.5 tbsp. l. without top;
black and allspice peas - 5 pcs each;
bay leaf - 3-4 leaves;
freshly ground coriander - 1⁄2 tbsp. l.;
9% vinegar and vegetable oil - 2 tbsp each. l.

Turn fish into fillets and onions into thin rings.
To pickle mackerel, prepare the filling. Add sugar, salt and all spices to drinking water. Boil on the stove and cool. Pour vinegar into the remaining brine.
Place the fillet in an enamel bowl, sprinkle with onion rings.
Pour brine on top and press down with a plate of suitable diameter.
Place a 3-liter jar in water on top of the plate.
Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Before serving, dry the fish strips and lightly sprinkle each with vegetable oil.

Cooking in mayonnaise

Salting mackerel pieces in mayonnaise brine makes the fish tender and melting in your mouth.

Components:

fish plasters - 2 pcs;
Crimean onion - 3 large heads;
mayonnaise “Provencal” - 5 tbsp. l. with a mound;
bay leaf - 4 leaves;
black peppercorns - 5 pcs;
vegetable oil without aroma - 4 tablespoons;
extra salt - 1 tbsp. l.

The dishes are prepared like this:

Mix bay leaf, spices, chopped onion and mayonnaise sauce in a bowl.
Divide the fillets into 3 cm wide slices and immerse them in the spicy mayonnaise mixture.
Place a plate on top and press down with pressure.
Leave to salt at room temperature for 60 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator shelf for 3 hours.

A soft and tasty snack is ready to be served.

Marinade with ketchup

Tender fish meat in a hot marinade will be equally tasty in many types of fish.

Required:

fish meat - 3 pcs;
bulbs - 3 pcs;
9% vinegar - 3 tbsp. l.;
coarse salt - 2 tbsp. l. with top;
chili ketchup - 3 tbsp. l.;
granulated sugar - 1.5 tbsp. l.;
black peppercorns - 7-8 pcs;
vegetable oil - 1/3 cup;
purified water - a little more than a glass.

Divide the carcasses into strips 2 cm wide.
Chop the onion into thin half-rings.
Combine vegetable oil, vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add chili and peppercorns to the brine. Connect everything.
Bring the marinade to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Take a marinating container and pour some marinade into the bottom. Press the fish pieces tightly on top of it.
Pour the rest of the hot marinade on top.
Cover with a lid and leave to cool at room temperature. Hide it in the cold.

Soft and meaty mackerel is ready.

Secrets and subtleties of the pickling process

In order to properly and tasty pickle mackerel at home, you need to understand some of the subtleties of the process.

Important things to consider:

For salting, take large fish, as small fish have no fat and many bones. The best weight is 1 piece - about 300 g.
It is better to use fresh or frozen fish for cooking.
When purchasing, first of all, pay attention to the condition of the skin. Fresh fish has a light gray steel color without rusty spots or streaks.
The eyes are not cloudy and shiny.
High-quality fresh raw materials have a light fishy aroma, the skin is firm to the touch and slightly moisturized.
Salt draws excess moisture from the carcass and completely saturates the meat.
Salting is usually done at a low temperature, since the raw materials will deteriorate in the heat.
At the end of salting, put the workpiece in the basement or refrigerator.
Salting is carried out in containers that will not oxidize. Plastic or glass containers are best. If there are no special containers, take a bottle with the top cut off.
Iodized salt is not used, since iodine will worsen the appearance of mackerel, and iodine will not affect the taste.
The speed of salting the fish depends on the grinding of the salt. Coarse grinding will draw out a large amount of liquid, and this will increase the shelf life of the finished dish.
Take both carcasses and fillets, and slices. The size does not affect the cooking technology, but cutting it will reduce the time for salting. Whole fish is salted for 3 days, and slices from 4 hours to 1 day.
Store the finished snack in the refrigerator. Pour in 2-3 tbsp. l. homemade natural butter and store for about 5 days.
Remember that storing in the freezer will make the fibers soft and watery.
Peppercorns and bay leaves will help to fully emphasize the taste of the fish and give it a pleasant aroma. Coriander and allspice add a piquant flavor to the dish.

The various recipes offered will allow you to prepare a variety of tasty and unusual dishes from prosaic mackerel.

Video

Mackerel is considered a nutritious food containing essential microelements and vitamins important for the human body. You can buy it already marinated in a store, but such fish is unlikely to taste like the one you cooked yourself. In addition, store-bought mackerel is more expensive than home-marinated mackerel. In the process, you can give free rein to your imagination, using different ingredients for the marinade, each time surprising your guests with a new taste of the dish.

How to marinate mackerel deliciously

Everything depends on the quality of the fish chosen for marinating - both taste and appearance.

And this applies not only to salting - for barbecue or grilling, smoking (how to smoke fish) and other methods of cooking, the rules are the same.

Fresh and fatty fish guarantees a juicy, tender and incredibly appetizing treat, while slightly spoiled raw materials will negate all the efforts of the hostess.

So how do you choose the best mackerel for pickling?
By adhering to simple rules, there is no doubt that the mackerel in the marinade will be finger-licking good:

In grocery stores and markets, fish is sold in three types: fresh chilled, fresh frozen and deep frozen. It is best to choose the first option for marinating, but if there is no such fish, frozen raw materials will also do.
Before marinating freshly frozen mackerel, you need to let it sit for 5-6 hours in the refrigerator or a couple of hours on the table. You should not defrost it completely until it is soft, otherwise it will be difficult to cut and will slip out of your hands.
You need to purchase large mackerel carcasses; when marinated, they turn out fattier and juicier.
When buying fish, you should pay attention to its appearance: mackerel should be smooth, without dents or creases, the skin should be smooth and shiny. If the fish is sold ungutted and with the head on, you need to carefully examine its eyes. Fresh mackerel's eyes are clean and shiny. Turbidity indicates that the fish is not fresh and may have already begun to spoil.
Frozen fish should not have too much ice on it, otherwise this is a direct indicator that the carcass has been defrosted several times. This fish is not suitable for marinating; the fillet will be tasteless and soft.
It is not recommended to buy mackerel with yellowed skin. Yellow spots indicate a fat oxidation reaction. In this case, the pickled delicacy will have an unpleasant bitter aftertaste.
The fish should be left to thaw at room temperature or placed on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator.
It is not difficult to marinate mackerel at home in brine, but first it is gutted, the head and tail fin are cut off, everything inside the carcass is thoroughly cleaned with a knife, rinsed under cool water and the preparation process begins.

Attention!

Do not confuse regular mackerel with tuna, which is not suitable for salting at all - it is dry and does not have the desired original taste and smell. It’s easy to distinguish - on tuna dots, and on regular stripes (as in the photo above).

Spicy salted mackerel

Marinated aromatic mackerel is a very tasty appetizer that will please any guest. Before a feast, hospitable housewives always think that in addition to hot dishes, there should be a variety of snacks on the table. And pickled mackerel with onions and vinegar is perfect. Moreover, it can be quickly marinated, since the recipe is very easy, quick, and the fish is marinated in a few hours.

Mackerel itself is not only a tasty fish, but also very healthy. It contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which have a very positive effect on the human body. So mackerel has very tasty white meat and very few seeds, so it will be a pleasure to eat it.

Ingredients:

Recipe Information

Cuisine:Russian
Type of dish: appetizers
Cooking method: pickling
Servings:8
6-8 hours

fresh frozen mackerel – 300 g
salt – 1 tbsp. l.
water – 300 ml
bay leaf – 3 pcs.
sugar – 1 tsp.
black peppercorns – 5-7 pcs.
onions – 1 pc.
vinegar - 1.5 tbsp. l.
vegetable oil – 1.5 tbsp. l.

Cooking method:

Thaw the fish, cut off the head, clean the inside of the belly, remove the intestines. The main thing is to remove the black film on the belly, as it can taste bitter in the fish.

Cut the mackerel into finger-thick pieces. This is approximately 0.7-1 cm. With this thickness, marinated mackerel in pieces will be ready in 6-8 hours. If you marinate the whole mackerel, it will take about a day, maybe two.

Now let's make a marinade for spicy salted mackerel. Put the water on the fire, then add sugar, salt and continue to cook everything.

When the water starts to boil, add spices: bay leaves, black peppercorns. Let the spices simmer for 2-3 minutes to make the marinade more spicy.

Finally, pour in the vinegar and stir the marinade.

Pour in the vegetable oil, stir again, let the marinade boil and immediately remove from the heat. Cool completely.

Place the fish in a container. A plastic, glass, or enamel container will do. Pour the cooled marinade over the fish until the liquid covers the pieces. Place the container in the cold.

After 6-8 hours, the marinated mackerel with onions will be ready. It’s convenient to cook in the evening - in the morning it will marinate and you can eat it. To serve the appetizer on the table, I used onion rings, which go perfectly with this salted fish.

Mackerel in a jar: recipe with onions and carrots

Mackerel with a marinade of carrots and onions, marinated in a jar, is a simple recipe that is perfect for country gatherings.

It’s convenient to prepare everything at home and take it with you on vacation.

What do we need:

2 large fish
500 ml water
1 tbsp. l. coarse salt
2 tbsp. l. any vegetable oil
1 tsp. granulated sugar
a couple of cloves, 5-6 peas of black or allspice, a little coriander
2 onions
1 large carrot
3 tbsp. l. apple vinegar or 2 tbsp. l. vinegar 9%.

Step-by-step preparation:

Pre-defrosted and gutted mackerel (2 large fish), cut into pieces no more than 2 cm thick.
Next you need to prepare the marinade for mackerel. Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place sugar, salt, spices and carrots cut into slices into the boiling liquid. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the cooked brine from the stove, cool and pour oil and vinegar into it.
Cut the onion into half rings. Place in a glass jar in layers: mackerel, carrots from brine, fresh onions. When all the fish is placed in a jar, pour brine on top so that the mackerel pieces are barely covered with liquid.
We marinate the mackerel in a jar in a cool place for a day.

Marinate in citruses

Mackerel in orange marinade has a completely new and delicate taste. This marinade for pickling mackerel is also interesting because it is used hot, that is, the appetizer is prepared quite quickly.

Ingredients:

2 large fish carcasses
2 onions
celery stalk
salt and a little black pepper
coriander seeds
zest of 1 lemon
refined vegetable oil
freshly squeezed orange juice - 1.5 tbsp.

How to marinate:

Separate the fish fillet from the bones and backbone and place in a separate bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with coriander. Wrap the container with fish in cling film and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Using a grater, carefully remove the zest from the lemon, without the white bitter layer.
Finely chop the onion and celery. Heat a frying pan with refined oil, fry the chopped vegetables a little, add lemon zest and fry a little more.
Pour orange juice into the pan and let it boil for no more than 5 minutes.
Add the hot filling to the container with the fish (it turns out to be a slightly boiled fish), cool slightly, cover with a bag or cling film and put in the refrigerator. After an hour, you can enjoy delicious marinated fish.

Marinated mackerel in 2 hours

Another way to quickly marinate mackerel at home is to prepare a special brine.

This recipe is simply irreplaceable if guests are expected to arrive in the next couple of hours or if you just want to serve an original appetizer for dinner.

What you will need:

2 large fish
2 onions
3 tbsp. l. coarse salt
1.5 tbsp. Sahara
black peppercorns - 10 pcs.
800 ml water
4 dried bay leaves
1 tbsp. vodka or cognac.

How to cook:

Cut the gutted carcass into pieces up to 1.5 cm thick.
Place the water on the stove and let it boil.
Add black pepper, bay leaves and salt to the boiling liquid.
Cook the marinade for no more than 10 minutes. Cool the finished brine slightly, add chopped onions and vodka (it will act as an additional disinfectant, the taste will not be felt).
Place the mackerel in a plastic container, pour in the marinade, close tightly with a lid and refrigerate.
After 2-3 hours, the fish is ready to eat - take it out, pour vegetable oil and serve.

Delicious marinated whole fish

Such fish takes much longer to cook than cut fish, but the taste of the whole marinated carcass is much richer.

And externally, thanks to the addition of onion skins and tea leaves, the fish looks very appetizing.

Whole pickled mackerel is a recipe as simple as any other.

Products:

large mackerel - 2-3 pcs.
4 tbsp. l. coarse salts;
2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
water 2 l;
2 tbsp. l. black leaf tea;
onion peel 100 g.

Cooking steps:

Gut the mackerel, remove the head and tail fin, and set aside.
Boil water, add sugar, salt, dry tea and onion peels, washed in water.
Boil the brine for about 5 minutes, cool.
Place the prepared carcass in a glass container, pour in the marinade, place pressure on top and leave overnight. In the morning, remove the pressure and put the fish in a cold place for 72 hours.

Mackerel in mustard marinade

Mackerel marinated with mustard is very tender and spicy, amazingly tasty!

In this case, the brine is prepared without vinegar at all - it is the mustard that softens the meat.

What you need:

fish - 2 pcs.
water - 700 ml
1 tbsp. l. mustard
3-4 tbsp. l. salt
1 tbsp. l. Sahara
bay leaf - 3 pcs.
black peppercorns - 5-6 pcs.

How to cook:

Place spices, sugar and salt in a saucepan, add hot water, and boil for 3 minutes.
When the cooked brine has barely cooled, add mustard and mix well.
Pour the cooled brine into the prepared and divided mackerel. Hide in a cool place for a day.

How to marinate in mayonnaise

Mackerel marinated in mayonnaise is a cooking method that can be called brineless. This mackerel marinade recipe does not require adding water or other liquid.

Ingredients:

fish 2 pcs.
onions 3 heads
5 tbsp. l. mayonnaise
bay leaf 3 pcs.
black peppercorns 5 pcs.
refined vegetable oil 1/4 tbsp.
1 tbsp. l. salt.

Preparation:

In a separate bowl, mix spices, mayonnaise, oil and onion cut into half rings.
Cut the fish carcass into small pieces and place in the mayonnaise mixture.
Place pressure on top. Let sit for about 60 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator for 3 hours.

What are the benefits and harms of pickled mackerel?

This fish is considered a dietary, but also very nutritious product. It contains amino acids, fats and trace elements. 100 g of pickled mackerel contains 12.8 g of protein, 8.3 g of fat, 3.7 g of carbohydrates. The calorie content of the product is 142 kcal.

Regular consumption of mackerel helps reduce blood cholesterol, regulates the hormonal system, increases hemoglobin, strengthens blood vessels and improves vision. Mackerel is simply necessary for a child's body: it helps strengthen teeth and bones, and prevents the development of rickets.

How to serve marinated mackerel

There are a lot of ways to serve spicy fish and they all depend on the ingenuity of the housewife.

The mackerel is beautifully laid out on a dish, sprinkled with finely chopped herbs or poured with vegetable oil.

You can put lemon slices, cranberry or juniper berries on top of the fish pieces.

You can beautifully place onion rings, cherry tomatoes or olives on pieces of fish. A dish decorated with lettuce, carrot flowers and a boiled egg looks beautiful.

An excellent solution is ready-made canapes, snack sandwiches with a piece of marinated fillet.

How to properly store marinated fish

Homemade pickled mackerel cannot be stored for a long time. Therefore, you should not stock up on fish delicacies for future use. Mackerel in brine can stand in the refrigerator no more than 3 days, while it will become more salty every day.

It is better to remove the fish from the brine, transfer it to a clean glass container and pour in vegetable oil. In this case, it can be stored in the refrigerator for about 7 days.

Self-marinated mackerel will decorate any table, and almost everyone has all the ingredients necessary for the marinade in their kitchen. Remember - no store-bought product can compare with the delicate, melt-in-your-mouth taste of spicy fish marinated at home.

Video: mackerel in soy marinade in 15 minutes

Delicious lunch with lightly salted mackerel

The recipe for homemade mackerel salting under pressure is simple, quick and tasty. Salting of fish occurs without brine, only salt and pepper (or other spices), in pieces, in its own juice. After 2 hours it’s ready. We salted mackerel in the same way in Soviet times - the fish always turned out delicious!

We offer 2 recipes for salting mackerel with step-by-step photos, which differ in:

The amount of salt. In the first - more, in the second - a more lightly salted version;
By cutting method in pieces. In the first recipe there are single pieces - from 1 mackerel you get 2 fillets, which are cut into pieces (the fish is cut along the belly and along the back), and in the second - we do not cut the back, but fold the resulting fillet again into a fish and cut crosswise into pieces. Do as you please, it doesn’t matter;
Composition of spices. The first recipe contains only ground black pepper, the second contains tarragon with mint and a little dill. It doesn’t matter, you can do it without spices at all, but only with salt.

First, we give the first version of the composition and general salting technology with step-by-step photos of preparation. Then - a second version of the proportions for salting with less salt and step-by-step photos that show a different technology for cutting mackerel into pieces. And at the very end - useful salting tips and other recipes for salting fish.

1. Ingredients (more salt, black pepper)

Cooking time from 2 to 8 hours (depending on how much fish is salted at the same time)

Mackerel – 2 fish (0.6-0.7 kg);
Ground black pepper (or a mixture of peppers) – 3-5 peas (crush or grind);
Salt – 1 tablespoon (or a little less).

2 mackerel

How to pickle mackerel

1. Clean and cut the fish

How to clean: wash the mackerel. Cut off her head (and pull out her insides), tail and fins. Cut the belly, peel off the black film (it can be easily removed). Rinse the cleaned fish.
How to get mackerel fillets: Cut the belly to the end and open the fish. Pry up the ridge near the tail and take it out along with the rib bones (this is easy). You will end up with a flattened, boneless mackerel carcass (inspect it and remove any remaining bones). You can put the bones and head in a bag and use it for fish soup.
How to cut mackerel: It’s most convenient to fold the fish as it was and cut it into slices from the skin side, starting to cut with a sharp knife from the back to the belly. Or divide the fillet into 2 halves (from eating, cut the fish along the belly and back) and cut crosswise into slices. In general, you can cut it the way you want, as long as the pieces turn out even and don’t fall apart.

It is possible to salt the mackerel in pieces, without freeing the fish from the bones. Then you just need to clean the fish and cut it crosswise into small slices.

2. Mackerel Ambassador

Place and salt the fish: Place pieces of mackerel on the bottom of a glass or enamel bowl, pan (or plastic container). Throw in the crushed peppercorns (or you can immediately mix them with salt). Sprinkle with salt (moderately, as you would salt regular meat or fish). Repeat with the rest of the mackerel, salting each layer.
Press down with oppression: Place a saucer or plate on top of the fish. Place a container of water on it (cool, not hot!), for example, a liter jar.
Leave at room temperature for 2 hours. After this, the fish can be eaten. After this time, the oppression can be removed, covered with a lid and the lightly salted mackerel placed in a cool place (refrigerator, balcony) for storage. Please note that if mackerel is salted in the heat, then it is better to immediately remove the fish under pressure to a cool place.

Bon appetit!

Step-by-step photos of salting mackerel-1

These are illustrations for a recipe with more salt and black pepper, cutting into pieces not a whole fish, but divided into 2 separate fillets.

Mackerel
What to remove when cleaning mackerel
All fins on the back and belly must also be trimmed.

Cut off the head. tail, fins, remove the entrails, remove the film
The gutted fish is opened along the line of the abdomen and the spine with bones is removed
Mackerel pieces for salting, slicing

Delicious pieces of mackerel

Crushed peppercorns for salting
All layers of mackerel should be sprinkled with salt and pepper.
When you have laid out the mackerel, you need to place it under the press

Place a saucer (or lid) on the fish and place a weight on it
Press down the fish with pressure (a jar of water, for example)
After 2 hours the fish is ready

A wonderful hearty lunch or dinner of mashed potatoes, lightly salted mackerel with onions, pickles, sauerkraut and tomatoes!

A delicious sandwich made from biscuits, butter, salted mackerel and onion rings. Delicious!

Step-by-step photos of salting mackerel-2

This is a recipe for salting mackerel with less salt, spices - tarragon (tarragon) and dill, a whole fish is cut into pieces, from which the backbone with bones is removed through the belly (cut from the skin side).

Otherwise, the recipe is exactly the same, cooked for 2 hours under pressure, without brine.

2. Ingredients (less salt, tarragon, mint and dill)

Mackerel – 3;
Salt – 1 tablespoon;
Tarragon (tarragon) – a pinch, maybe a small pinch of dried mint;
Dried dill - a couple of pinches.

Everything you need to salt mackerel: fish, salt, herbs

Ingredients
Mackerel with bones, cleaned
Flatten the fish and remove the ridge and ribs from it

3 mackerel fillets before slicing
Easier to cut rolled fish
Cut into medium sized pieces

Lay out the fish in layers, sprinkle with salt and spices
They laid out all the fish
Now the mackerel needs to be crushed under pressure

Cover the fish with a saucer of smaller diameter than the bowl, and place a weight on the saucer
I placed a closed container of water on the fish
Ready lightly salted mackerel after removing the oppression

Home-salted mackerel

Mackerel pieces with mashed potatoes and vegetable salad (peppers and quick-salted cucumbers)

Focus on your taste and the quantity/weight of fish. Some people think that 2 medium-sized fish need 1 tablespoon (I put a little less than a whole spoon), while others think this amount is ideal for salting 3 of the same mackerel.

What spices to use

Pepper (black, allspice, pink or a mixture of different peppers) goes well with mackerel. But if you don’t like pepper or you’ve run out of it, you can replace it with herbs. For example, tarragon with dill. You can add bay leaves, onions, lightly sprinkle the fish with lemon juice before salting (or after salting before eating) or lay one of the layers with 3-4 thin slices of lemon and onions.