Smoked foods are a frequent guest at our tables. Smoked fish, for example, fatty, juicy mackerel, are especially popular. Well, how to abandon such yummy? Only here in supermarkets such a delicacy costs a decent amount, and one cannot be sure of quality. Therefore, taking this into account, we have found for you the three most delicious simple ways to smoke mackerel with liquid smoke at home. With it, the fish turns out what you need, and it cooks very quickly.
What is liquid smoke?
You must have heard about this ingredient. It is he who will help us to prepare tasty, fragrant fish as from a smokehouse at home.
Classic liquid smoke is a flavoring agent of natural or artificial origin, it is used for meat, meat products, poultry and fish to give the dish a smoked look and aroma. Liquid smoke is often added to the first courses, oh, what a delicious soup "with a smoke."
Manufacturers receive natural liquid smoke by burning alder, beech or bird cherry. The resulting smoke is cleaned of tar and tar. Then it is dissolved in purified water. It can also be found on sale as dried powder.
For dishes, housewives often create a homemade imitation of liquid smoke by mixing soy sauce, curry and mayonnaise, but such smoke does little to help us prepare delicious, fragrant smoked mackerel.
Where to buy liquid smoke? This ingredient is not uncommon, so you can probably find a bottle on the shelves in the department with spices or sauces, oils, as well as in grocery markets.
Smoked pieces
There are several ways to cook mackerel with liquid smoke at home. It can be “smoked” in concentrate, either whole or cut into pieces. Naturally, the pieces will be ready much faster than a solid carcass. With the preparation of chopped fish, we will begin.
To prepare this delicious mackerel you will need:
- 2 frozen mackerels;
- 4 tbsp. l salts;
- 2 tbsp. l Sahara;
- 1 tsp liquid smoke;
- 1 onion;
- butter.
As well as spices such as peppers, coriander and bay leaves, aromatic herbs and thyme. To prepare this delicious fish, you can use a mixture of spices and seasonings for fish, for its salting.
Cooking
If you purchased a whole carcass, you need to gut the fish, rinse thoroughly with cold water and cut into slices about 1-1.5 cm wide.
Fold the pieces into a container; glass or enamel is suitable. Mix all seasonings or ready-made complex, as well as salt and liquid smoke in a separate container. Then pour on the fish, well coat each piece, rubbing the spices into the pulp, then cover with cling film, wrapping a deep bowl in several layers.
Place the mackerel bowl in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
After pickling, shake off the pieces from spices, rinse with cold water. Fold again in a deep bowl and cover with vegetable oil. Peel the onion and cut into thin half rings, spread on a fish.
That's all, the mackerel, salted in slices, is ready. It can be safely served to the table with hot boiled potatoes.
A good recipe, because if you suddenly want a smoked mackerel for dinner, during the day it will be perfectly salted and saturated with liquid smoke concentrate.
Mackerel in husk
As we have already noticed, there are several ways to salt the fish, so in this recipe we will try to salt it whole, moreover, we will take onion peel - as you know, it can give a bright, saturated color. Thus, to cook mackerel in onion husks with liquid smoke, you will need:
- 4 whole fish;
- 80 g of sugar;
- 150 g of salt;
- husk;
- 50 ml of vegetable oil;
- 50 ml of liquid smoke.
And, of course, various spices: a complex or bay leaf, cloves, allspice peas.
Cooking process
First, prepare the marinade. To do this, you will need a small saucepan in which you need to pour 1.5 liters of water and pour all the necessary spices, including onion husks and herbs. Mix the spices thoroughly with water and boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool to room temperature.
When the marinade has cooled, pour the liquid smoke concentrate into it and mix well.
Disassemble the fish carefully. Remove the head, tail, entrails. Rinse thoroughly under running cold water. Put the mackerel in a deep bowl and pour the marinade. Leave the fish in the refrigerator for 4 days.
After the time has passed, remove the fish, remove the remaining marinade, spices and husks and leave to fade for half an hour. After that, you can cut the fish, add vegetable oil, season with onion rings or sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve with a slice of lemon and potatoes.
The fish turns out very tasty, with a pleasant aroma of a fire. The recipe is very successful, because to cook smoked mackerel with liquid smoke, you do not need much effort, and the ingredients for this snack are simple and affordable.
And for those who do not want to wait 4 days to enjoy delicious mackerel, we found a recipe for the same delicious fish in the marinade, it only cooks twice as fast.
Cold smoked
The third homemade smoked mackerel recipe is cold. What kind of recipe is this? In fact, the cooking method is extremely simple, and all that is required for it is a minimum of effort and 15 minutes of time.
So, to make a delicious mackerel with liquid smoke at home, you will need:
- several carcasses of mackerel;
- onion peel;
- 100 ml of liquid smoke;
- 4 tbsp. l salts;
- 2 tbsp. l concentrate;
- 1 liter of water.
And, of course, the spices suitable for this are described in the previous two recipes.
Recipe
Defrost a carcass of a mackerel naturally (in the refrigerator or at room temperature), defrosting in a microwave or hot water can ruin the structure of the pulp. Next, remove the carcass from the insides, cut off the head, tail and fins. Rinse the fish with cold water and set aside.
Next, prepare the marinade. Pour onion peel with cold water, add salt and sugar there and boil for 20-25 minutes. For 7 minutes add various spices to taste.
Remove the brine from the heat and let cool slightly, then strain it through the marlechka. Put the fish in a deep bowl, fill with a fragrant marinade, then cover with a plate and put a press. Soak the mackerel for 2 days.
Two days later, the fish can be cut and served.
Thanks to this simple recipe, you will get a quality home-made product. In addition, preparing the fish yourself, you will save a lot.
We hope you enjoy our delicious recipes for smoking mackerel with liquid smoke at home. Finally, it is worth saying that the fish cooked in this way is not intended for long storage, you can keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Therefore, do not try to cook mackerel in reserve, it is better to eat ready-made and cook new, without risking spoiling the products.
Enjoy your meal!