Whole mackerel in brine

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 2 day

1. STEP 1

   

   How to pickle whole mackerel in brine so that it turns out no worse than store-bought? It's actually very simple. To begin, prepare the necessary ingredients according to the list. You can use fresh or frozen mackerel. I have frozen fish, which must be properly defrosted before salting. You can add more allspice and bay leaves if you want a more flavorful fish.

2. STEP 2

   

   Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. STEP 3

   

   While the water is boiling, prepare the fish. If it is already gutted, then just rinse it thoroughly. Frozen fish usually requires additional cleaning. To do this, do not defrost it completely. Frozen fish are easier to clean. Remove the entrails, black films inside the abdomen, and remove the gills. Rinse everything thoroughly.

4. STEP 4

   

   Pour salt and sugar into boiling water, add allspice and bay leaves. Mix everything well until all the crystals dissolve. Cool the brine completely to room temperature.

5. STEP 5

   

   Place the mackerel, belly up, directly into the saucepan with the cooled brine, if it will fit there. My fish was large, so I put it in a larger pan. First keep the pan for 4-5 hours at room temperature. Then cover the pan with a lid and refrigerate for 2 days.

6. STEP 6

   

   After just a few hours, the brine will turn from transparent to a cloudy pink color - this is the remaining blood from the fish. The fish will be medium salted in 28-30 hours. If you want it to be salted more strongly, leave it for the entire 48 hours. 2-3 hours before the end of salting, turn the fish belly down so that it is also salted.

7. STEP 7

   

   Remove the finished mackerel from the brine, dry with paper towels, cut into portions and serve with potatoes and dill. The ancient Russian appetizer is ready. Bon appetit!

Comments on the recipe

Natalia M

22.08.2023

4.8

We try to saturate our diet with healthy fatty fish, so I periodically salt herring or mackerel. This time my daughter ordered striped fish). On the website I chose a suitable option for whole mackerel in brine. Brine boiled two portions and cooled. My fish turned out to be very large and fatty. They tried to take them out of the bowl, but I pressed them down with a plate and placed a weight on them. It would be better, of course, to take a larger saucepan. But everyone was busy). Then I thought that the heads should have been removed for convenience. Nevertheless, the ambassador turned out to be successful! In two days the mackerel was salted well. The fish was plump, so it was kept in brine for the full period. During this time, the blood came out and the meat became light and dense. The fish was imbued with the aroma of allspice and laurel. Moderately salty for my taste. Before serving, I cut the carcasses into steaks, and then in half for convenience. And kept it in a mixture of vegetable oil and wine vinegar for half an hour. Very tasty fish! With red onions and black bread it’s absolutely fire!

mother of a sweet tooth

22.08.2023

4.9

Oh, how could I pass up such a recipe! I'll put it in my recipe saver!

Buratin-ua

22.08.2023

5

Thank you so much for the recipe, but they always told me that coriander is cilantro seeds! But maybe I'm wrong - in the east they love jokes.