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Smoked mackerel is a tender and tasty dish that will not only decorate the holiday table, but also make the everyday menu unusual. There is no need to buy such a delicacy, as it is quite easy to prepare at home. Mackerel can be smoked hot or cold. The taste of the finished product will depend on proper preliminary preparation, including salting and marinating. Salting mackerel for cold smoking can be done in two ways - dry and wet, each of them has its own advantages.
By smoking mackerel yourself, you can be sure of the quality of the prepared dish.
Methods for salting mackerel before cold smoking
Salting mackerel for cold smoking can be dry or wet. In the first case, salting is carried out by pouring and rubbing the carcasses with salt. They are then left to stand in a cool place. Wet salting involves preparing a marinade based on water and a variety of spices. The brine is cooled, the carcasses are poured over it and kept for a certain period of time.
To quickly pickle mackerel for cold smoking, you need to select recipes designed for preparing fillets and pieces. For marinating or salting whole carcasses, a minimum of 2-3 days is required, while 12-18 hours will be enough for cut fish. You can shorten the salting time by adding vinegar to the marinade.
Selection and preparation of fish
Mackerel intended for salting must be purchased only from trusted suppliers to ensure that you receive high-quality, fresh raw materials. The fish should not have an unpleasant odor, a loose structure, or any mechanical damage. The color of fresh mackerel is light gray, with characteristic black stripes, without any spots or darkening on the skin.
A sign of a low-quality product is a thick layer of ice on the carcasses. Unscrupulous sellers use this technique to disguise possible shortcomings. Frozen mackerel must first be properly defrosted. This can be done by placing it in cold water for about 1.5 hours.
Fresh mackerel should be firm and elastic to the touch. It is best to purchase whole carcasses (with head and entrails), which will simplify the process of determining freshness.Their gills should be red, their eyes should be transparent, without clouding.
The ice glaze on fish carcasses should be white and transparent, no more than 1 mm thick.
To clean or not
Before marinating mackerel for cold smoking, the fish must be properly prepared. At the same time, the carcasses are gutted - the entrails and head are removed. But you can leave it. When smoking the whole carcass, it is necessary to carefully remove scales, ensuring the integrity of the skin. Damage to the skin can cause the marinated mackerel to become mushy during smoking. Then the fish must be dried with napkins or a paper towel.
How to salt mackerel for cold smoking
The salting process involves rubbing each carcass with salt inside and out. Then they are placed in a metal or enamel container.
Classic mackerel salting for cold smoking
Classic salting of mackerel allows you to get cold smoked fish, similar in taste to the product prepared according to GOST.
Required ingredients:
- mackerel – 2 carcasses;
- salt – 80 g;
- sugar – 20 g;
- Bay leaf;
- peppercorns (black).
Step-by-step preparation:
- Cut off the head of the fish, gut it, and wash it.
- Pour 20-30 g of salt into the bottom of the salting dish, add pepper and crushed bay leaves.
- Mix the remaining salt with sugar and rub the carcasses on all sides.
- Place them in a container and close it tightly.
- Leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
The top of the mackerel must be sprinkled with salt.
How to salt mackerel with seasonings for cold smoking
You can make the taste of the prepared product somewhat brighter by adding a variety of spices during salting. To do this, you should make a special mixture consisting of dry onions, garlic, various peppers (black, allspice, paprika), coriander, mustard, cloves and bay leaves. The required components are salt - 100-120 g and sugar - 25 g (based on 1 kg of fish raw material).
The carcasses are placed in a container for salting, having previously poured a layer of the prepared spicy mixture into it. Then the fish is placed tightly with the belly up. All layers are sprinkled with a pickling mixture. Oppression must be placed on top. The container with salted fish is placed in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, turning over every 6 hours.
Spiced smoked mackerel goes well with any side dishes
A simple recipe for salting mackerel for cold smoking
A simple dry pickling recipe does not involve the use of any unique or exotic spices. It will be enough to rub the carcasses with regular salt and black pepper. If desired, you can add any fish seasonings. Cover the dish with salted mackerel with cling film or a lid and leave in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours.
It is not recommended to reduce the salting time, as the raw materials may not be salted
Recipe for salting mackerel with sugar and garlic for cold smoking
You can salt mackerel dry using garlic and other aromatic spices, which are selected and added to taste. This salting will allow you to get juicy, fragrant, tasty fish.
Ingredients:
- fish – 1 kg;
- salt – 100 g;
- sugar – 10 g;
- lemon juice;
- Bay leaf;
- black and allspice;
- garlic - to taste.
Fish carcasses are rubbed with the prepared mixture on all sides, placed in a pan or basin and placed in a cool place (refrigerator) for 24-48 hours.
Fish salted according to this recipe turns out juicy and aromatic with a refined taste
How to marinate mackerel for cold smoking
Marinating is a simple method of wet salting mackerel for cold smoking. It is thanks to brine that fish acquires excellent taste, becomes aromatic, tender, and juicy. There are several options for preparing the marinade. Each recipe has its own set of spices, which give the finished product a unique, original taste.
Classic brine recipe for cold smoking mackerel
The classic marinade for preparing cold smoked mackerel is prepared based on water, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
Ingredients:
- fresh frozen fish – 6 pcs.
For the marinade
- water – 2 l;
- salt – 180 g;
- Bay leaf;
- ground black and allspice (peas) - to taste.
Step-by-step marinating:
- Cut off the heads, remove the entrails, and rinse under running water.
- Place the carcasses tightly in the container.
- Prepare the brine by adding all the seasonings to cold water.
- Stir until the salt dissolves.
- Pour brine over the fish, cover with a plate, and place pressure on top.
- Cover the container with a lid and leave to marinate for 3 days.
A very tasty and easy pickling recipe - all the hassle will take no more than 10-15 minutes
Brine for cold smoked mackerel with coriander
You can pickle mackerel for cold smoking in a spicy marinade. This fish cooks quickly, resulting in very tender, juicy, soft and aromatic.
When smoked, properly marinated fish not only acquires a refined taste, but also a beautiful brown-golden color.
Ingredients:
- fish carcasses – 2-3 pcs.
For the marinade:
- water – 1 l;
- table salt – 60 g;
- sugar – 25 g;
- bay leaf – 5 pcs.;
- coriander – 1 tbsp. l.;
- black pepper;
- carnation.
Marinade recipe for cold smoked mackerel:
- Cut up the carcasses - remove the heads and entrails.
- Prepare the marinade by boiling the seasonings in water.
- Cool the brine and strain.
- Place the fish in a plastic bowl and pour the marinade over it.
- Leave to marinate for approximately 12 hours (for large carcasses, you can increase the brining time to 24 hours).
How to marinate mackerel for cold smoking with lemon and rosemary
An unusual, expressive taste can be obtained by marinating mackerel with herbs and citrus fruits. The amount of ingredients can be adjusted based on personal taste preferences. First of all, you need to prepare brine (a strong solution of table salt).
To prepare the marinade you will need the following products:
- lemon – 2 pcs.;
- orange – 1 pc.;
- onion – 3 heads;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- bay leaf – 5-6 pcs.;
- granulated sugar – 25 g;
- cinnamon powder – 1 tbsp. l.;
- ground black pepper – 1 tbsp. l.;
- herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage) - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Coarsely chop onion, lemon, orange.
- Prepare brine by adding salt to boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes.
- Add spices, vegetables, fruits to the brine. Boil.
- Pour the prepared marinade over the carcasses.
- Leave for 12 hours.
By marinating mackerel with rosemary and lemon, you can get a special and unusual dish
How much to salt mackerel for cold smoking
To properly salt mackerel for cold smoking, you need to know how long it needs to be marinated or salted. To ensure even distribution of salt, dry-salted fish must be kept in a cool place for at least 7-12 hours.
The carcasses are infused in the marinade from several hours to 1-2 days, depending on the recommended recipe
Processing fish after salting
After salting, mackerel must be thoroughly rinsed with cool water. Then the carcasses should be dried well with paper towels, both outside and inside. The next step is drying. Cold smoke will penetrate the meat of well-dried fish best. To dry, carcasses are hung upside down in the fresh air for several hours. After carrying out such preparatory activities, you can proceed directly to the smoking process.
Conclusion
Marinating and salting mackerel for cold smoking is a simple process that any housewife can easily handle. This can be done in different ways, each of which has its own advantages.The result is a rather tasty and healthy delicacy that cannot be bought in any store.
