7 ways to quickly and tasty pickle mackerel at home

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Try it and you will stop buying salted fish.

7 secrets of delicious salted mackerel

1. The weight of the fish should be about 300 g. When salting, mackerel gives off moisture abundantly. Small, already lean individuals turn out to be too dry.
2. Use fresh or frozen fish. Preferably with the head and entrails. It's easier to define freshness this way. The carcass should be elastic, the aroma should be unobtrusive, the color should be light gray with characteristic stripes.
3. Choose non-oxidizing dishes: plastic, glass or enamel.
4. Do not use iodized salt - it can make the fish loose.
5. If you want to pickle mackerel quickly, choose recipes that feature slices or fillets. A whole fish needs 2-3 days to be salted, a chopped one - 12-18 hours. By using vinegar, the curing time can be shortened.
6. Chill the brine before pouring. In hot and even more so boiling liquid, the fish will boil.
7. Take the time to pickle and store the salted mackerel in the refrigerator or other cool place.

1. How to salt mackerel according to the classic recipe

Dry salted mackerel in its own juice.

Ingredients

• 2 mackerels;
• 3 tablespoons of salt;
• 3 black peppercorns;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Cut off the heads of the fish, gut and rinse it. Put a spoonful of salt on the bottom of a plastic or glass container, put pepper and crush the bay leaf.

Mix the remaining salt with sugar and rub the mackerel inside and out. Place the fish in a container, close the lid tightly. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Rinse the mackerel under running water and blot with paper towels before serving.

2. How to salt mackerel in a spicy brine

Fragrant and very delicate mackerel, which, thanks to cutting into pieces, is salted quite quickly.

Ingredients

• 2 mackerels;
• 1 liter of water;
• 3 tablespoons of salt;
• 1¹⁄₂ tablespoon sugar
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 5 allspice peas;
• 3 stars of carnation;
• 3 bay leaves;
• ½ teaspoon coriander.

Preparation

Butcher the mackerel: get rid of the heads, entrails and skins. Cut the fish into 3–4 cm wide pieces.

Prepare the brine by boiling all the seasonings in water. Strain, cool. Place the fish in a plastic container, cover with brine and leave at room temperature for 12 hours. Then refrigerate for another 2-3 hours.

12 reasons to eat fish more often →

3. How to pickle mackerel in tea

Delicate, moderately salty, reminiscent of cold smoked mackerel in color and taste.

Ingredients

• 4 mackerels;
• 4 tablespoons of black tea or 8 bags;
• 4 tablespoons of salt;
• 2 tablespoons of sugar;
• 1 onion;
• 1 liter of water.

Preparation

Gut, rinse and dry the mackerel with paper towels. Cut off the neck of a 1.5 liter plastic bottle. Put the fish in the bottle, tails up.

Place the tea, salt, sugar and a whole peeled onion in a saucepan. Fill with water, put on fire, boil. Strain and cool completely.

Pour the mackerel with the resulting solution and put it in the refrigerator for 3 days. Rotate the fish by the tails every day so that it is evenly salted and has an even shade.

4. How to pickle mackerel in onion peel and tea brine

A variation of the previous recipe. The color turns out to be more golden, but the taste remains the same delicate.

Ingredients

• 4 mackerels;
• 3 handfuls of onion skins;
• 2 tablespoons of black tea or 4 bags;
• 4 tablespoons of salt;
• 2 tablespoons of sugar;
• 6 black peppercorns;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 1¹⁄₂ liter of water.

Preparation

Prepare the mackerel for salting: cut off the heads, gut, rinse. Place the fish in a plastic bottle or other convenient container.

Rinse the onion skins and place in a saucepan. Send tea, salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaves there. Pour in water, bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat, strain, cool.

Pour the mackerel with chilled brine. Refrigerate for 3-4 days. Turn over from time to time.

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5. How to salt mackerel with mustard

Mackerel in pieces with a spicy taste and a beautiful shade.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 3 tablespoons of salt;
• 1¹⁄₂ tablespoon sugar
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1 liter of water;
• 2 mackerels.

Preparation

Prepare the brine: pour the mustard powder and other spices with water, bring to a boil and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

While the brine is cooling, gut and rinse the mackerel. Cut it into pieces and place in a glass dish. Pour with brine and refrigerate overnight, or better for a day.

6. How to salt mackerel with vinegar and sunflower oil

Interesting taste with sourness and spicy notes. Great for sandwiches. And most importantly, it prepares very quickly.

Ingredients

• 2 mackerels;
• 3 tablespoons of salt;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• 50 ml of unrefined sunflower oil;
• 2 large onions.

Preparation

Fillet the mackerel. This can be done in a convenient way for you, by analogy with herring.

3 ways to quickly butcher herring →

Sprinkle the fillets with salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes. At this time, peel and grate the garlic, break the bay leaf. Combine garlic, lavrushka, peppercorns, vinegar and sunflower oil.

Place the mackerel in a glass jar, sprinkling the layers with the sliced onions in half rings. Pour the marinade over, cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.

The onions will also be pickled and delicious.

7. How to very quickly salt mackerel under yoke

Express salting in case there are guests in the evening. Mackerel turns out to be lightly salted and very appetizing.

Ingredients

• 2 mackerels;
• 2 purple onions;
• 1 liter of water;
• 3 tablespoons of salt;
• 1¹⁄₂ tablespoon sugar
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 2 allspice peas;
• 3 bay leaves;
• ½ teaspoon coriander;
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil.

Preparation

Cut the mackerel into fillets. Peel the onion and cut into half rings.

Prepare the brine. Pour salt, sugar, two types of pepper, bay leaf, coriander into the water. Boil and cool. Add vinegar to the cooled brine.

Place the fish in an enamel bowl, sprinkling with onions. Fill with brine. Cover with a plate of a suitable diameter and place something heavy on top, such as a jar of water. Refrigerate for 2-5 hours. Dry the mackerel pieces with a paper towel and drizzle with sunflower oil before serving.