How to pickle mackerel for cold smoking with wet and dry salting

Smoked mackerel is a delicate and tasty dish that will not only decorate the festive table, but also make the everyday menu unusual. It is not necessary to buy such a delicacy, as it is quite simple to cook at home. Mackerel can be smoked hot and cold. The taste of the finished product in this case will depend on the correct preliminary preparation, including salting and pickling. Salting mackerel for cold smoking can be carried out in two ways – dry and wet, each of them has its own advantages.

Having smoked mackerel on your own, you can be sure of the quality of the cooked dish

Methods for salting mackerel before cold smoking

Mackerel salt for cold smoking can be dry or wet. In the first case, salting is carried out by pouring and rubbing carcasses with salt. Then they are left to stand in a cool place. Wet salting involves the preparation of a marinade based on water and a variety of spices. The brine is cooled, the carcasses are poured into it and kept for a certain period of time.

To make a quick salting of mackerel for cold smoking, you need to select recipes designed for cooking fillets and pieces. It takes at least 2-3 days to marinate or salt whole carcasses, while 12-18 hours will be enough for fish cut into pieces. You can reduce 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 in order to be guaranteed to receive high-quality, fresh raw materials. The fish should not have an unpleasant odor, loose structure, any mechanical damage. The color of fresh mackerel is light gray, with characteristic black stripes, without any spots and darkening on the skin.

A sign of low-quality goods is a thick layer of ice on carcasses. This technique is used by unscrupulous sellers to mask possible shortcomings. Frozen mackerel must first be properly thawed. This can be done by placing it in cold water for about 1,5 hours.

Fresh mackerel should be dense, 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.

Ice glaze on fish carcasses should be white and transparent, no more than 1 mm thick

Clean or not

Before pickling mackerel for cold smoking, the fish must be properly prepared. At the same time, the carcasses are gutted – the entrails and the head are removed. But you can leave. When smoking as a whole, the carcass must be carefully cleaned of scales, monitoring the integrity of the skin. Damage to the skin can cause pickled mackerel to soften during smoking. Then the fish must be dried with napkins or paper towels.

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 enameled container.

Classic salted mackerel for cold smoking

The classic salting of mackerel allows you to get cold-smoked fish, similar in taste to the product prepared in accordance with GOST.

Necessary ingredients:

• mackerel – 2 carcasses;
• salt – 80 g;
• sugar – 20 g;
• Bay leaf;
• peppercorns (black).

Step-by-step cooking:

1. Cut off the head of the fish, gut, rinse.
2. Pour 20-30 g of salt on the bottom of the dishes for salting, put pepper, crushed bay leaves.
3. Mix the remaining salt with sugar and rub the carcasses on all sides.
4. Place them in a container and close it tightly.
5. Leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Mackerel must be sprinkled with salt on top.

How to salt mackerel with seasonings for cold smoking

You can make the taste of the cooked product a little brighter by adding a variety of spices during salting. To do this, you should make a special mixture consisting of dry onions, garlic, a variety of peppers (black, allspice, paprika), coriander, mustard, cloves and bay leaf. Mandatory components are salt – 100-120 g and sugar – 25 g (per 1 kg of raw fish).

The carcasses are placed in a container for pickling, after pouring a layer of the prepared spicy mixture into it. Then tightly lay the fish belly up. At the same time, all layers are poured with a pickling mixture. Oppression is necessarily placed on top. A container with salted fish is placed in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, turning over every 6 hours.

Smoked mackerel spicy salted goes well with any side dishes

A simple recipe for salting mackerel for cold smoking

A simple dry pickle recipe does not involve the use of any unique or exotic spices. It will be enough to rub the carcasses with ordinary salt and black pepper. If desired, you can add any fish seasonings. Cover the dish with salted mackerel with cling film or a lid, leaving it in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours.

It is not recommended to reduce the salting time, as the raw material may not be salted.

Recipe for salting mackerel with sugar and garlic for cold smoking

You can dry-salt mackerel using garlic and other aromatic spices, which are chosen and added to taste. Such 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 saucepan or basin and placed in a cool place (refrigerator) for 24-48 hours.

Salted according to this recipe, the fish turns out juicy and fragrant with a refined taste.

How to pickle mackerel for cold smoking

Pickling is a simple way to wet-salt mackerel for cold smoking. It is thanks to the brine that the fish acquires excellent taste, becomes fragrant, tender, juicy. There are several options for preparing the marinade. Each recipe has its own set of spices that give the finished product a unique, original taste.

The classic brine recipe for cold smoking mackerel

The classic marinade for cold smoked mackerel is prepared on the basis of water, salt, pepper and bay leaf.

Ingredients:

• fresh-frozen fish – 6 pcs.

For marinade

• water – 2 l;
• salt – 180 g;
• Bay leaf;
• black ground and allspice (peas) – to taste.

Step by step pickling:

1. Cut off the heads, remove the insides, rinse under running water.
2. Place the carcasses tightly in the container.
3. Prepare the brine by adding all the seasonings to cold water.
4. Stir until salt dissolves.
5. Pour the brine over the fish, cover with a plate, place oppression on top.
6. Close the container with a lid and leave to marinate for 3 days.

A very tasty and easy salting recipe – all the chores will take no more than 10-15 minutes

Brine for cold smoked mackerel with coriander

You can salt mackerel for cold smoking in a spicy marinade. Such fish cooks quickly, while being very tender, juicy, soft and fragrant.

Properly marinated fish during smoking 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;
• salt – 60 g;
• sugar – 25 g;
• bay leaf – 5 pcs .;
• coriander – 1 tbsp. l.;
• black pepper;
• carnations.

Marinade recipe for cold smoked mackerel:

1. Cut carcasses – remove heads, entrails.
2. Prepare the marinade by boiling seasonings in water.
3. Cool the brine, strain.
4. Put the fish in a plastic bowl, pour the marinade.
5. Leave to marinate for about 12 hours (for large carcasses, you can increase the salting time to 24 hours).

How to pickle 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;
• bow – 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.

Method of preparation:

1. Coarsely chop the onion, lemon, orange.
2. Prepare brine by pouring salt into boiling water. Boil for about 10 minutes.
3. Add spices, vegetables, fruits to the brine. Boil.
4. Pour the carcasses with the prepared marinade.
5. Leave on for 12 hours.

Pickled mackerel with rosemary and lemon, you can get a special and unusual dish.

How much to salt mackerel for cold smoking

In order to properly pickle mackerel for cold smoking, you need to know how long it needs to be marinated or salted. Dry-salted fish should be kept in a cool place for at least 7-12 hours to evenly distribute the salt.

Carcasses insist in the marinade from several hours to 1-2 days, depending on the recommended recipe

Fish processing after salting

After salting, the 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 wilting. Best of all, cold smoke will penetrate the meat of well-dried fish. For drying, the carcasses are hung upside down in the fresh air for several hours. After carrying out such preparatory measures, you can proceed directly to the smoking process.

Conclusion

Pickling and salting mackerel for cold smoking is an easy process that any housewife can easily handle. This can be done in a variety of ways, each with its own advantages. The result is a rather tasty and healthy delicacy that cannot be bought in any store.