How to pickle mackerel at home

Homemade pickles are considered to be universal dishes. On their basis, sandwiches, salads are made, the product is used as an independent snack. Salted mackerel, which has an exquisite taste due to cooked marinade, has 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 fat and omega-acids, which favorably affect the heart muscle.

How to pickle mackerel: preparation

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

Inventory:

• capacity (deep drinking bowl);
• saucepan with lid for cooking marinade;
• cutting board;
• knife with a wide and sharp blade;
• glass jar or container;
• polyethylene film.

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

Remove the insides, slightly turn out the fish in the fins, clean off the dark formations. Wash the carcass thoroughly in running water, dry with paper towels or towels. Place on a dry surface to evaporate excess moisture.

Marinated Mackerel: A Classic Recipe

• Table vinegar (concentration 9%) - 55 ml.
• onion - 2 pcs. medium size
• mackerel - 1 pc. (about 400 gr.)
• table salt large - 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 the prepared peeled mackerel, remove the ridge if desired, remove the 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 (finely ground sea salt) with red and black pepper. If desired, add chili in small amounts. Rub the mixture with the inner and outer part of the fish, put the halves on top of each other.
4. Wrap the mackerel in food film or bag, wrap tightly so that air does not flow into 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 period, 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 container, pour in vinegar and add sugar. Stir, add 30 ml. filtered (thawed, boiled) water.
7. Remember the onion half rings with your palms so that the juice comes out of them.Squeeze the composition with your hands, leave for a quarter of an hour (maybe longer).
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 the half of the lemon into half rings, place on top of the carcass, do the same with the pickled onions. The serving is complete, and 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.
• carnation - 5 buds
• Coriander - 10 g.
• basil - 8 gr.
• lemon juice - 15 ml.
• fine salt (sea or iodized) - 55 gr.

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

Cinnamon Mackerel

• purified water - 1.2 l.
• mackerel - 1 pc. (weighing about 400 grams.)
• crushed 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, you need to gut the fish. Cut off the head, fins, tail, scrape the dark film with a knife. Wash the carcass, blot it with paper napkins, leave for 20 minutes.
2. Start cooking brine. Choose a wide enameled saucepan with a thick bottom, pour drinking water into it, add ground salt in the amount of 225—250 g.Send bay leaf, peppercorns, ground or green cinnamon (5 gr.) Into the container.
3. Turn the stove to minimum power, bring the solution to a boil, remove the composition from the heat. Cover with a lid, 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. Fill the product with warm brine, seal and place in the refrigerator for three days.
5. Marinate the onion: cut it into rings / half rings, add vinegar and lemon juice, wait 20 minutes. Remove the fish from the refrigerator, put it on the dish, place the onion rings next to it.

Marinated mackerel for 3 hours

• drinking water (filtered, thawed) - 375 ml.
• mackerel - 1 pc. (weight about 350-400 gr.)
• Yellow onion - 1 pc.
• chopped salt - 40 gr.
• pea pepper - 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 it on the stove. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat, then add salt and granulated sugar, add pea pepper and bay leaf.
2. Stir the solution periodically to completely dissolve the sugar and salt granules.At this time, cut the onion into 4-8 parts, after clearing it from the husk. Send the pieces to the pan, simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.
3. After the expiration date, turn off the hotplate, cover the container and allow the mixture to cool at room temperature. The exposure time varies 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 into a container or jar. Fill with the resulting brine, seal it, send to the refrigerator for 2.5-3 hours.
5. After that, remove the fish, place it on the plate with the pulp up, sprinkle with lemon juice, garnish with chopped dill and parsley. Serve with boiled potatoes or steamed vegetables.

Mackerel in tea brine

• granulated sugar (reed or beet) - 120 gr.
• fine salt - 120 gr.
• fresh or fresh frozen mackerel - 2 pcs. (800 gr.)
• long leaf black tea (sheet) - 60 gr.

1. First prepare the mackerel. If you used a frozen product, pre-thaw it naturally. In cases with fresh fish, this stage can be skipped.
2. Cut off the tail, head and fins of the carcass, clean the cavity from the entrails, remove the dark film. Wash the fish under the tap and dry with paper towels.
3. Pour the leaf tea with boiling water, wait half an hour, strain. If necessary, heat, add salt and sugar, wait for the crystals to dissolve.
4. Pour the brine into a glass jar, place the mackerel whole 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, mesh) to make the glass excess liquid (about 10-12 hours).
6. Serve mackerel with stewed vegetables, boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, garnish with greens, and if desired, sprinkle with lemon juice or vinegar.

Marinated mackerel: dry salted

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

1. Mix the sugar, salt and coriander kernels in one granular mixture. Divide the fish by removing the fins, tail and head.Clean the cavity from the film, wash it under the tap, dry with paper napkins or towels.
2. Cut two carcasses into equal pieces, grease each portion with the prepared free-flowing mixture both from the inside and the outside. Place the fish in a glass jar or plastic container, sprinkle with the remains of salting on top.
3. Cover the container with a lid, put it in the refrigerator for 25-30 hours. After the allotted time, remove the pieces from the jar, rinse with water. Cover the flat surface with paper napkins in 3-4 layers, put the fish on them to make the glass excess moisture.
4. Peel and chop the onion into half rings, place it in a bowl, add lemon juice and vinegar solution. Remember with your hands to stand out juice, leave for a quarter of an hour.
5. Garnish with mackerel slices with pickled onions, serve with mashed potatoes, stewed vegetables, and boiled potatoes. You can also add fish to a salad or use it as an independent snack.

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

Video: how to pickle mackerel in brine