Mackerel is a fatty, tender and insanely delicious fish, in which there are few bones.
This distinguishes her from the background of a popular herring.
If you salt the mackerel yourself, then it will also win in price.
Here you can find out how to do this at home.
Mackerel Ambassador at Home - General Principles
For salting any fish, it is desirable to use coarse salt, you can use sea salt. Extra grade does not fit. Since mackerel comes to us most often in frozen form, carcasses need to be allowed to thaw. It is advisable not to rush things and do it in the refrigerator.
How to salt mackerel:
• Pieces. Immediately in portions or divide the carcass into 2-3 parts.
• Entirely without removing the fins, entrails and head.
• Entirely, but gutted. Cut the tail, head, remove the fins. Leave the carcass itself.
The mackerel ambassador can be carried out dry or wet. With any option, except salt, you can use a variety of spices and herbs. Some vegetables are sometimes added, but mostly onions and garlic.
Recipe 1: Mackerel Ambassador at Home with Onion
A simple recipe for mackerel salting with a minimal set of ingredients. Such a fish can be put on the table in 24 hours.
Ingredients
• 2 mackerels;
• 400 ml of water;
• 2 onions;
• 3 tsp salts;
• 1 tsp vinegar.
Cooking
1. Boil water with salt and vinegar for a minute, cool. You can add half a spoonful of sugar, with it the fish is tastier.
2. At the mackerel we remove the heads and tail, we clean the insides. We wash the carcasses and cut into slices across two centimeters.
3. Onions cut into half rings.
4. Put the mackerel in a glass jar, sprinkle with chopped onions.
5. Now pour the chilled brine and remove for a day in the refrigerator.
Recipe 2: Mackerel Ambassador at Home with Mustard
Far from a new and well-known way of salting mackerel with dry mustard powder. It gives the fish density, a pleasant taste and prevents the development of mold. The recipe is universal, can be used for herring, herring and other fish.
Ingredients
• 5 mackerels;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• 60 grams of mustard powder;
• 1 cup coarse salt.
Cooking
1. Boil salt with water, cool.
2. Add mustard powder, stir.
3. Pour washed, but whole and not gutted fish with cold brine.
4. We close the lid, put it in the refrigerator and leave the mackerel for 2-3 days, depending on the size of the fish. But do not forget! Shake periodically to raise mustard powder from the bottom.
Recipe 3: Dry Mackerel Ambassador at Home "It Can't Be Easier"
This option of the mackerel ambassador at home will simply help out if there is no time. And it will also appeal to those who do not like to mess with marinades.
Ingredients
• 1 mackerel;
• a pinch of pepper;
• a spoon of salt;
• 0.5 tablespoons of sugar.
You can put a bay leaf for the aroma, peppercorns, a pinch of dry mustard, etc.
Cooking
1. We wash the carcass, remove the head, entrails and tail. We clean the abdomen.
2. Mix all the spices and rub the fish inside and out.
3. Put in a bag, if there are spices, then just pour it on top.
4. Now we wrap the fish in this bag with a tight roll. For strength, you can also wrap it with cling film on top.
5. That's it! Put in the refrigerator for 1.5-2 days. An advantage of this method is also hermetic packaging. There will be no smell of fish in the refrigerator, which containers and cans do not guarantee.
Recipe 4: Mackerel Ambassador at Home with Liquid Smoke
The addition of liquid smoke during the salting of mackerel simulates smoking. And to add more effect, tea leaves are added.
Ingredients
• 2 fish;
• 3 l. salts;
• 2 l. liquid smoke;
• 1 teaspoon of tea;
• 1.5 l. Sahara.
Add pepper, laurel leaves, onion rings to your taste.
Cooking
1. Boil the rate of salt and sugar in a liter of water for a minute, add the brewing of black tea, turn off the stove immediately. Let the brine stand until cool, then filter and put liquid smoke.
2. We lay the washed carcasses in the container, fill and leave in the refrigerator for 3 days. If you need to lay seasonings, then throw now.
3. Or, we cut washed and gutted pieces into transverse slices, also add them, fill them with brine, but we already hold them in the refrigerator for 18-20 hours.
Recipe 5: Mackerel Ambassador at Home in a Package
Another method of dry salting fish, which uses a dense plastic bag and liquid smoke.
Ingredients
• 1 mackerel;
• 1 incomplete spoon of salt;
• 1 tsp Sahara;
• black pepper;
• 2 leaves of laurel;
• 1 tsp liquid smoke.
Cooking
1. Free mackerel from the insides, head and tail. Cut into slices of 2 centimeters.
2. Combine the spices with liquid smoke and send to the fish.
3. Rub the pieces on all sides, transfer them to a tight bag, tie and put in the refrigerator.
4. And in 5-7 hours the salted fish is ready! If you need a saltier, then stand longer.
Recipe 6: Mackerel Ambassador at Home with Onion Husk
Onion peel is not only a wonderful dye. It gives the mackerel a pleasant, delicate taste and the fish really resembles smoked meats. But if you want, then you can drip into the brine and a little liquid smoke.
Ingredients
• 2-3 fish;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• 3 tablespoons of salt;
• 1 sugar;
• 2 press husks;
• 1 tsp tea.
Cooking
1. We throw off tea, washed husks and spices into the pan.
2. Add water and boil for 2-3 minutes. Cool, then filter. The brine will turn dark brown.
3. We gutted the fish, remove the heads and tails.
4. Pour the mackerel with the prepared brine, put it in the refrigerator for 2 days. Periodically, the fish need to be turned over.
Recipe 7: Homemade Mackerel Ambassador in a Bottle
A very interesting way of salting mackerel, for which you will need a plastic bottle.
Ingredients
• 3 mackerels;
• 5 tablespoons of salt;
• 2 tablespoons of tea;
• 1 liter of water;
• 1.5 tablespoons of sugar.
Cooking
1. Prepare a regular brine by boiling water with spices and tea leaves. Cool and filter. Now you can pour a couple of spoons of liquid smoke, but this is optional, since many are against this product.
2. While the brine cools, you need to prepare a bottle. It is necessary to cut off the upper part so that the fish fit completely.
3. Rinse the bottle inside and place the mackerel upside down. We don’t gut the fish, we don’t cut anything.
4. Pour with cooled brine so that it completely covers the contents. We wrap the bottle with cling film so that the smell does not spread across the refrigerator, and remove it for three days.
5. Then we get the mackerel, dry it with napkins and wipe it with vegetable oil to give a beautiful shine, like a real smoked mackerel.
Recipe 8: Hot Mackerel Ambassador at Home
Hot mackerel can be eaten just a couple of hours after cooking. It is only necessary to allow the pieces to cool.
Ingredients
• 1 mackerel;
• 400 grams of water;
• 1 tablespoon of salt;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 2 tablespoons of oil;
• 2 peppercorns;
• 0.5 tsp vinegar.
Cooking
1. Cut the fish into thin slices one centimeter. We immediately throw out the head, tail and entrails.
2. Add the chopped clove of garlic, throw the peppercorns, immediately pour in the oil.
3. Boil water with salt, pour vinegar and pour pieces of mackerel with boiling liquid.
4. Cover and wait for complete cooling. Then we hold it for half an hour in the refrigerator and you can serve it on the table!
Mackerel ambassador at home - useful tips and tricks
• Need to reduce salting time? Just keep it warm longer and then put it in the refrigerator. But do not overdo it, the fish can disappear from too long a stay in the heat. The first sign of spoilage is clouding of the brine.
• Salted fish is tasteless. Therefore, it is not necessary to harvest mackerel for the future and it is advisable to cook for one, a maximum of two times. If a series of holidays is expected, it is better to salt the fish at intervals or in different forms. For example, part of the pieces, which will be ready the next day, and part of the mackerel to lay the whole. These carcasses will need to lie for 2-3 days.
• The tail of the mackerel is dry and tasteless. And the final piece, 3-4 centimeters in size, can immediately be cut off and sent to a beloved cat in a bowl.
• Good and fat mackerel has a thick back. If this part of the carcass is skinny, then the fish will be dry and tasteless.
