Mackerel is a very useful product that contains a large number of components that are beneficial for the human body.
Salted mackerel is an appetizer that will decorate any holiday table. You can cook it at home, even without special culinary skills. Let us consider the list of the most interesting recipes for salting mackerel in brine pieces.
Which fish to choose
In order for the appetizer to taste good, you need to choose the right product. The culinary practice shows that for salting mackerel it is best to choose medium or large fish. An ideal option would be a carcass weighing about 300 g.
When planning to salt mackerel, you should give preference to freshly frozen or fresh product. Of course, if there is none, then you can take frozen, but only in this case it must be properly thawed - in a natural way.
For salting, you need to choose fresh fish that has a light gray skin color and transparent eyes. The aroma of high-quality mackerel should be light, exclusively fish. It should be elastic to the touch.
In what conditions to pickle
Mackerel is known to be a product that deteriorates quite quickly in warm conditions. That is why the pickling process must be performed in cold conditions (cellar, refrigerator, etc.).
What kind of dishes should I choose for pickling fish? Ideal for this are glass vessels and jars, as well as enameled dishes and plastic containers. In the event that no suitable dishes are found, you can use a plastic bottle with a cut-off neck.
What spices can be used for salting
In order for the fish to have a breathtaking aroma, in the process of salting it is necessary to use a small amount of spices. Among them may be bay leaves, allspice and black pepper, cloves, coriander and salt without fail.
For salting mackerel, it is advisable to use coarse salt - in this case there is no risk of salting the fish. It is not recommended to add iodized salt to the marinade - it will not affect the taste of the mackerel at all, but it will significantly spoil its appearance.
The amount of spices in the marinade should be small, since mackerel, like any other fish, has the ability to absorb spices. In the event that there are too many of them, the fish taste will simply be lost.
Next, consider the best recipes for salting mackerel in brine, according to which you can cook a delicious snack at home.
Classic recipe
In order to pickle fresh mackerel according to a simple recipe, you need to take the following ingredients:
- 2 medium-sized carcasses (300-350 g each);
- liter of purified water;
- 1 tsp mustard powder;
- 3 tablespoons of sugar;
- 5 tablespoons of salt;
- 10 peas of black pepper;
- 4 bay leaves.
In order to deliciously marinate the fish, you need to cook a suitable marinade. To do this, put water on a stove and boil. At the time of boiling, put in the spices indicated in the recipe, and then, after a couple of minutes, remove the brine from the heat and cool.
While the brine cools, you need to prepare a fish. From it it is necessary to cut off all unnecessary elements, gut it, and then wash it. Dry, then carcasses need to be cut into portioned pieces of medium size (2-3 cm wide) and put them in a container prepared for pickling. After this, the fish should be tightly covered and sent to the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Mackerel marinated with vinegar
This recipe (with photo) of salted mackerel in brine is suitable for those who like slightly salted fish. To prepare snacks in this way, you need to prepare the following ingredients:
- one carcass of mackerel;
- 2 tablespoons of sugar;
- 4 tablespoons of salt;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 3 peas of black pepper;
- 2 peas of allspice;
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar;
- litere of water.
In order to prepare the fish for the pickling process, it is necessary to remove all unnecessary entrails, gills, fins from it, and then rinse, dry and cut into portioned pieces 2-3 cm thick.
In a separate bowl, you must prepare the marinade. To do this, boil the water, then add spices to it and, cook for a couple of minutes, cool.
With cooled brine for salting the mackerel, pour the fish, folded into a pan suitable for pickling, and, covering it, send it for a day to a place where room temperature prevails.
Spiced ambassador
This recipe for salting is ideal not only for mackerel, but also for herring, as well as for red fish. This recipe offers a fairly quick pickling of the product - the appetizer will have an amazing taste and aroma 12 hours after it is sent to the refrigerator.
In order to make salting of mackerel in brine quickly, you need to take the following products:
- 2 carcasses of mackerel (350 g each);
- a pair of onions;
- a couple of bay leaves;
- 5 peas of pepper;
- 3 tablespoons of salt;
- a teaspoon of refined sunflower oil;
- a quarter cup of wine vinegar;
- 2 sticks of dried cloves;
- some ground pepper.
In order to pickle mackerel in the described way, you need to cut the carcass into fillets, completely separating it from the skin and bones. Then it should be cut into several portioned pieces 3-4 cm wide, and then sprinkled with salt and left for a while.
While the fish is saturated with salt, it's time to prepare a pickle for salting the mackerel. To do this, mix vegetable oil with vinegar and spices in one bowl. After this, the marinade should be poured into a fish and, adding to it onions, cut into rings, mix.
The fish in the marinade should be kept at room temperature for about 10-12 hours, after which the container should be moved for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
Following this recipe for salting mackerel in brine, you can please yourself with a fragrant and incredibly tender fish that goes well with boiled potatoes, as well as black bread and croutons.
How to pickle whole mackerel
This recipe for salting mackerel in brine allows you to cook a truly unique appetizer that will win the hearts of all gourmets. In the finished version, such a mackerel has a smoked flavor, which makes it more original.
To prepare fish in this way, you need to take the following ingredients:
- 3 medium carcasses of mackerel;
- 3 tablespoons of salt;
- 6 glasses of purified water;
- 1.5 tablespoons of sugar;
- 3 handfuls of onion husks;
- 2 tablespoons of black tea leaves.
To prepare such a fish, you need to make a concentrated brine. To create it, you need to rinse the onion peel and put it in a pan, and then pour water and put on fire. As soon as the water boils, it is necessary to add tea leaves, salt, and also sugar. After mixing, the mass must be removed from the heat and allowed to cool under a closed lid.
The cooled broth should be filtered, filtering it through cheesecloth, and then pouring whole fish on it and putting it in a cold place for three days. In order for the carcass to acquire a beautiful color, it must be turned over once a day.
Mackerel in black tea marinade
To prepare fish in this way, you need to take:
- 2 medium-sized carcasses;
- 4 tablespoons of salt;
- litere of water;
- 4 teaspoons of tea leaves;
- 4 tablespoons of sugar.
This recipe provides for salting mackerel in a whole brine, in a marinade made on the basis of water and black tea. In order to cook it, you need to pour tea leaves in hot water and, having covered, let it cool. As soon as the future marinade becomes barely warm, salt and sugar should be dissolved in it.
After the marinade is ready, they need to fill in the gutted and dried fish, close the lid and put in the refrigerator for three days.
The finished appetizer must be served to the table in a cut form. It goes well with side dishes of potatoes, as well as vegetables.
Two hours of salted mackerel
In the event that it is not possible to wait several days for the preparation of mackerel, you can marinate such a fish according to the recipe below quickly. Salting mackerel slices in brine is carried out for two hours.
To prepare it according to this recipe, you need to take:
- large carcass of fish;
- onion head;
- 1.5 cups of purified water;
- 1.5 tablespoons coarse salt;
- two bay leaves;
- 7 peas of pepper.
Thawed fish should be gutted and, washed, cut into portioned pieces (about 2 cm wide). After that, it is necessary to pour it with the previously prepared and cooled marinade so that the pieces are completely hidden by it. The container with the fish should be covered and sent to the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
In order to prepare the marinade, it is necessary to boil the water and put onion cut into several parts, salt and all those spices that are presented in the recipe. Next, you need to cook the brine for 10 minutes over low heat, then remove it from the heat and leave to cool with the lid open.
Mackerel in sunflower oil
This option of salting mackerel slices in a brine of oil will appeal to those who prefer the simplicity of cooking. In order to make this appetizing and very tasty snack, you need to take the following ingredients:
- 2 large carcasses of mackerel;
- a little ground pepper;
- 2 tsp Sahara;
- 2 tablespoons of salt;
- a spoonful of vinegar;
- refined sunflower oil.
In order to prepare the mackerel indicated by the method, it is necessary to remove the entrails from the carcass, then wash it and cut into portioned pieces of small thickness. Next, each of them must be grated with a mixture made of ground pepper, sugar and salt,
Wrapped pieces must be put in a jar, in which they will pickle in the future and compact them thoroughly. In this form, the fish should be left in the refrigerator overnight, and in the morning remove the salt that comes out from above. After the salt is eliminated, it is necessary to transfer the pieces of fish to the herring and pour in a mixture made of vegetable oil and vinegar. Having mixed, the mass of dates should be infused for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.
Salted mackerel in oil
It is known that oil brine for salting mackerel is able to give the fish a special softness juiciness and tenderness of taste. For pickling according to this recipe, only frozen mackerel is suitable. To prepare a delicious, juicy and fragrant snack per kilogram of frozen fish, you need to take a minimum of additional ingredients - a couple of tablespoons of salt and a glass of refined sunflower oil.
From fish carcasses it is necessary to cut off the fins, heads, and also remove unnecessary entrails together with a black film, which during the pickling process can spoil the taste of the snack with bitterness. The carcasses must be halved, removing the bones, but leaving the skins.
Prepared pieces of fish should be put in a bowl for subsequent pickling, placing the skins down and sprinkled with salt well. After this, the main ingredient should be evenly poured with oil.
Next, the container must be closed with a lid and sent to a cold place for a day - after this period the fish will be ready.
Mustard marinated mackerel
Mackerel prepared according to such a recipe will certainly please true gourmets with its taste. To create this snack you need to take:
- a couple of carcasses of fish;
- 10 peas of pepper;
- a teaspoon of mustard powder;
- 3 tablespoons of sugar;
- 5 tablespoons of salt;
- 4 bay leaves;
- liter of purified cold water.
In order to make a delicious pickle for salting mackerel at home, you need to boil the water and lay in it peas of pepper, salt and sugar, as well as bay leaf. After three minutes of rapid boiling, the brine must be removed from the stove and cool.
While the marinade is cooling, it's time to cook the mackerel. To do this, gut the carcasses, wash them and, having dried with a towel, cut into portioned pieces no more than 2 cm wide each. Then they need to be folded into a deep container and pour cooled brine.
Practice shows that the fish marinated in such a brine will be completely ready in two days, but you can try it after 12 hours.