How to pickle mackerel in brine - 4 recipes at home

Hello! Today I will tell you how to pickle mackerel in brine. I’ll also share a few secrets that will help you choose a quality product and prepare it correctly.

Important points:

1. If for salting you get fresh fish, first of all pay attention to the integrity of the carcass. It should be dentless, elastic and firm to the touch. Eyes without opacities, brilliant.
2. When buying frozen mackerel, consider icing. When a product is of high quality, it is transparent, uniform, without sagging and cracking. After thawing, such a fish will remain elastic, and the flesh will not fall off the bones.
3. It is better to defrost the product at room temperature or on the middle shelf of the refrigerator. It is not recommended to place the carcass in warm water, because the protein in this case will curl up and there will be less useful substances in the finished snack.
4. To choose a meaty mackerel, look at the back. The wider the striped portion, the more meat there will be.

How to pickle whole mackerel in brine

• Cooking time: 40 minutes preparation and 72 hours salting.
• Servings Per Container: 8-10.
• Calories per 100 g: 188 kcal.

To pickle whole mackerel, I choose medium-sized carcasses, it’s more convenient to work with them. And add onion peel to the brine so that the product is not only tasty, but also acquires a pleasant golden color.

Ingredients:

• mackerel - 4 carcasses;
• onion peel - 2 glasses:
• salt - 7 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 3 tbsp. l .;
• peppercorns - 15 pcs.;
• bay leaf - 5 pcs.;
• water - 2 l.

How do I pickle:

1. First I prepare the carcasses: I cut off the heads, tails and fins, delete the insides.I also remove the black film that covers the fish from the inside, otherwise the finished product will be bitter. Gently scrape the ridge with a knife, cleaning out the frozen blood, rinsing. As a result, I get 1-1.2 kg of raw material for salting.
2. I put onion peel in a colander, mine, then squeeze it slightly and let the excess liquid drain.
3. I boil water, add the ingredients for the brine and keep on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Then I turn off the burner and let it cool completely.
4. I put the carcasses in a container of a suitable size, fill it with salty liquid, close it with a lid and send it to the refrigerator for three days.

On a note. To make the color of the fish more saturated, in addition to onion peels, 2-3 tablespoons of black tea can be added to the brine.

Sliced ​​Pickling Recipe

• Cooking time: 40 minutes preparation and 24 hours salting.
• Servings Per Container: 4-5.
• Calories per 100 g: 286 kcal.

It is not always possible and willing to wait a few days to enjoy a delicious fish. In such cases, I use the “daily” recipe for pickling pieces.

Ingredients:

• fish carcasses - 2 pcs.;
• bay leaf - 5 pcs.;
• peppercorns - 10 pcs.;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l .;
• water - 800 ml;
• vegetable oil - 150 ml.

Salting fish at home:

1. I prepare mackerel, mine, cut into slices 3-4 cm wide. It turns out 500-700 g of fish, depending on the size of the carcasses.
2. I bring water to a boil, add lavrushka, peppercorns, sugar and salt. I keep it on fire for 5 minutes, then cool.
3. I put the fish in a jar, fill it with brine, clog it with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for a day.
4. I pack the pieces into containers, so that they lie in one layer, pour water over with vegetable oil.
5. I keep in the refrigerator for another 1-2 hours.

Attention! The amount of oil is approximate. Fill the fish so that it is covered to about half.

The only drawback of such an appetizer is its high fat content. But if you are not afraid for the figure, feel free to salt the mackerel using oil.

Spiced Fish

• Cooking time: 40 minutes preparation and 24 hours (slices) or 3 days (whole) salting.
• Servings Per Container: 4-5 pcs.
• Calories per 100 g: 180 kcal.

This is another way to salt mackerel quickly and tasty, and unlike the previous version, it turns out not so high-calorie. And spices give the fish a special piquancy.

Ingredients:

• fish carcasses - 2 pcs.;
• cloves - 7 pcs.;
• coriander - 2 tbsp. l .;
• peppercorns - 12-15 pcs.;
• bay leaf - 5 pcs.;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l .;
• wine vinegar - 3 tbsp. l .;
• water - 600 ml.

Getting to work:

1. I clean the fish, cut it into slices of 3-4 cm. Raw materials for salting after cleaning get about 600-700 g.
2. I put spices, salt, sugar and vinegar in a 1.5-liter jar, pour boiling water over it, mix and let it cool completely.
3. I put the pieces in the liquid, seal the container with a lid, leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

According to this recipe, you can salted the fish as a whole, only insist in this case will have at least 3 days.

Tip. A good addition to such an appetizer is pickled onions. Cut a few pieces in half rings and pour the juice of half a lemon for half an hour. Then lay the fish pieces on top and serve.

Delicious salted mustard

• Cooking time: 40 minutes preparation and 24 hours (slices) or 3 days (whole) salting.
• Servings Per Container: 6-7.
• Calories per 100 g: 190 kcal.

And in conclusion, I’ll talk about pickling with mustard. This dish is for everybody, but it’s worth trying it at least once.

Ingredients:

• fish - 3 carcasses;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• mustard powder - 2 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1 l;
• laurel leaves - 6 pcs.;
• peppercorns - 10 pcs.

I am preparing a snack:

1. I prepare the fish, mine, cut into slices or leave whole. After removing the head, tail and entrails, about 900 g of “pure” product comes out.
2. Dissolve the salt in boiling water, let cool.Then pour the mustard, stir.
3. I put the mackerel in a jar, add bay leaf and pepper with peas, pour brine.
4. Sending to the refrigerator. If it is whole carcasses, salting will take three days, and the pieces will be ready in 24 hours.

Salted mackerel is stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. After that, eating it is not recommended, as it can go bad.