How to pickle mackerel for hot smoking: recipe

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Smoked fish is one of the most delicious delicacies that only exist in Russia. This is especially true for oily and fragrant mackerel. However, when buying in a store, it is quite difficult to find a really high-quality product, because it is not always possible to determine its freshness. So if there is a smokehouse at home, then you should definitely smoke the fish yourself. That is why it is important to know how to properly pickle mackerel for hot smoking in order to get the perfect taste. This is what this article will be about.

Choice of fish

Before you start learning how to pickle mackerel before hot smoking, you should definitely learn how to make the right choice of the fish itself in the store. First of all, it is worth remembering that the purchase must be made only from trusted merchants or in quality stores, this will prevent the possibility of using a bad product in the future.

To determine the quality, you should pay attention to the following factors:

• fish carcassmust be dense, not loose, without an unpleasant odor;
• mackerel is best bought chilled, and if it was frozen, then it should not be covered with an ice crust.

Preparation for s alting

One of the most important questions about how to pickle mackerel for hot smoking is the correct preparation process. To do this, a fresh carcass must first be thawed in the refrigerator, and then gutted, removing the head, fins and entrails.

Then the fish should be washed and dried with a paper towel. After that, the mackerel can begin to be s alted for subsequent smoking in a smokehouse. Well, if you decide to smoke the whole mackerel, then you will not need to gut the carcass. You need to completely remove all the scales from it, but do it in such a way as not to damage the skin.

S alted mackerel

Now let's go straight to figuring out how to pickle mackerel for hot smoking. The recipe is the simplest. To do this, you do not need to purchase additional ingredients, since they are already available in any kitchen - these are s alt and black pepper. If desired, you can add any other spices that go well with fish.

For such s alting, you just need to cover the fish carcasses with a thick layer of s alt mixed with black pepper. Then the container in which they are located is covered with cling film and sent to a cold place for about 10 hours. So just leave it overnight - this time is quite enough tomackerel s alted.

Already immediately before smoking from carcasses, you will need to shake off all excess s alt and send it to the smokehouse. As you can see, the question of how to pickle mackerel for smoking does not cause any particular difficulties, since the set of actions and ingredients in the classic recipe is minimal.

Marinade options

If you want to make the fish more fragrant, you can additionally prepare different marinade options. There are quite a few of them, so if you wish, you can find the most suitable for yourself. So, now consider the recipes for various marinades.

Lemon Marinade

Lemon marinade is perfect for giving fish a delicious sourness. For it, you need to take about 2 liters of water per 1 kilogram of mackerel, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, bay leaf, a glass of sugar and s alt, three cloves of garlic, black peppercorns and onion peel.

To get a delicious s alted fish, you need to boil all the water, and then add sugar, s alt, bay leaf and onion peel to it. Mix everything, and then add more lemon juice and finely chopped garlic. The marinade should be boiled for about ten minutes, and then cool. You will need to lower the carcasses of the fish into the marinade, and then leave them to s alt for about a couple of hours. This time is quite enough to get fragrant mackerel. It just needs to be dried before smoking.

Coriander Marinade

As you know, fish always goes well withcoriander, so you should definitely find out how to pickle mackerel for hot smoking in a similar marinade. In addition, it is very simple and quick to make it - it does not take more than ten minutes or special culinary talents. This recipe will make the smoked fish more flavorful and the fillet itself more tender and juicy, making the dish truly unique.

To prepare this marinade you will need to take:

• 3 Mackerel, peeled;
• 1 liter of water;
• 2 tablespoons of sugar;
• 2 tablespoons of s alt;
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds;
• 5 bay leaves;
• 2 each of cloves and black peppercorns.

To get a delicious s alting, you will need to follow the following step-by-step recommendations:

1. Pour a liter of water into a saucepan and put it on fire. As soon as it boils, you will need to add sugar and s alt to it. There is absolutely no need to worry about the fact that sugar will give the mackerel a sweet taste - it will only contribute to the faster absorption of s alt and spices. Just don't get too carried away with it.
2. Marinade should be stirred until sugar and s alt are completely dissolved. Then all other spices are added to it. You can add any of your own if you wish, but be careful not to spoil the taste.
3. The prepared liquid must be cooled, and then the fish carcasses themselves should be placed in it. In total, it will take about twelve hours to s alt out. In no case should this time be reduced, since in this casethere is a high possibility that the mackerel will not be s alted. As soon as the time is up, the carcasses need to be removed from the marinade and hung by the tails, leaving an additional couple of hours. So all the excess liquid will simply drain, after which you can start smoking. If you use such a marinade, then the dish will become a little spicy after smoking.

Cooking Features

When learning how to pickle mackerel for hot smoking, be sure to remember the main secret of how to get delicious fish. It is quite simple - the number of ingredients for the marinade should be minimal. Therefore, you should not use a wide variety of spices - they will only kill the natural taste of the fish.

So in most cases you can use only s alt. It is quite enough for the mackerel to become s alty, and it will get the rest of the taste precisely because of the fragrant smoke.

Helpful tips

If you want to cook even more delicious fish, here are a few tips:

1. When s alting, be sure to rub the carcass with a little brown sugar. This will make the meat much more tender.
2. If the mackerel is very large, then before s alting it can be cut into portions. So it will be better s alted and will become much tastier.
3. Additionally, soy sauce can be added to the marinade. This Chinese seasoning gives mackerel a slightly spicy yet unforgettable taste.

Conclusion

The article explained how to pickle mackerel for hot smoking, step by step. The recipe will come in handy. Now you know exactly how to choose a carcass in the store, and then prepare it. In addition to the simplest pickling recipe, various marinade options were also given that can be used for more flavoring. If you have used all the above tips, then preparing the fish before smoking should not take much time and effort.