Smoked mackerel- a popular delicacy that has a rich, delicate taste. The product goes well with vegetables, bread, potatoes. It can be served as a separate dish or used as an additional ingredient for preparing salads, sandwiches, fish pies and other dishes.

Choosing fish

For cooking using the hot smoking method, fresh mackerel purchased from a trusted place is suitable. Fresh fish should not have an unpleasant odor or a slippery coating, and the carcasses should be elastic.

You can also use fresh frozen mackerel for smoking. Avoid buying fish under a thick layer of ice, as it is difficult to assess the quality of the product under it.

Product preparation

Freshly frozen mackerel is thawed in a deep bowl, placed in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours (depending on the number and size of carcasses). Rapid defrosting of the product in a microwave oven or hot water is not allowed, because there is a high risk of the fish being partially cooked. As a result, it will become loose and the tissue will separate from the bones. After smoking, such fish will not have a marketable appearance, and its taste will deteriorate.

There are two types of preparation:

• The fish is completely gutted. After defrosting, the carcasses are placed on a cutting board, gutted and the heads are cut off (optional). Then the fish is thoroughly washed under running cold water and wiped with napkins.
• The fish is smoked whole. In this case, it is necessary to carefully remove scales from the carcasses, being careful not to damage the skin.

Pickling

At this stage, the fish are sorted by size, since placing carcasses of different sizes in the smoking chamber will lead to uneven cooking of the product.

Salting technology depends on the condition of the carcasses.

Method 1

If they were gutted at the previous stage, it is recommended to carefully rub salt on the inside and outside. It is important not to overdo it here so that the skin remains intact. The appearance of the finished product depends on this. Then black pepper, spices and seasonings for fish are added to the salt. The prepared mackerel is placed in special stainless steel trays or deep bowls and put in a cool place to evenly distribute the salt throughout the tissues for 7-8 hours.

Method 2

More information about smoking mackerel can be found in the corresponding article.

At home, to prepare hot smoked mackerel, compact smokehouses made of ordinary or stainless steel are used, the lids of which are equipped with a water seal system. Any gas or electric stove is used as a heat source...

Bon appetit!

Mackerel is a fatty fish that can be found on the shelves of shops and supermarkets in frozen and chilled, salted and smoked form. There are many admirers of this product, and this is not without reason, because fish is not only incredibly tasty, but also beneficial for our body, thanks to the content of vitamins and microelements.

Fish is delicious in any form; it can, for example, be baked with vegetables in the oven for dinner, but true connoisseurs of this product prefer to smoke it. To do this, you will need a special device - a portable smokehouse, and then you can, if desired, serve golden and aromatic hot smoked mackerel for lunch or dinner at any time.

Before you start preparing hot smoked mackerel at home, it must be properly salted. And watch the video, if you wish:

For this, two methods are used - dry, and using aromatic marinade.

How to properly marinate mackerel for smoking? In order for mackerel to have an excellent taste and aroma after smoking, it is necessary to use not only salt and ground pepper, but also add aromatic seasonings to the marinade. A previously frozen mackerel carcass must be thawed and cleaned of entrails, while the head of the fish may not be cut off for an aesthetically pleasing presentation of the product to the table. After cleaning, the fish is thoroughly washed and dried. Now let's look at both methods of salting hot smoked mackerel.

Dry salting of mackerel for hot smoking per one fish carcass:

• 1 teaspoon fine granulated sugar;
• 2 teaspoons of coarse table salt;
• 0.5 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper;
• 0.5 tsp ground coriander.

I have cooked smoked mackerel at home more than once, but over time I “luckily” forgot this simple recipe until, with the arrival of the holidays, I read about it again. I want to say that the fish turns out exactly the same as store-bought, and anyone who doesn’t know that it was prepared in your kitchen will never guess! The taste is the same, the color is the same, the only difference is the price.

In general, those who have this delicious fish inexpensively in their region will be lucky - you can smoke dozens of it using liquid smoke! Its only disadvantage is that it is harmful, so it is best to feast on such golden mackerel several times a year or every six months.

To prepare smoked mackerel at home, prepare the necessary ingredients. Be sure to defrost frozen mackerel. By the way, I recommend purchasing tea in tea bags, as the tea leaves stick to the carcass and leaves unsightly stains.

Cut off the head of the mackerel and remove the entrails through the cut. Do not rip the belly under any circumstances - its edges may curl in different directions during the smoking process. Rinse the carcass thoroughly in water.

Pour boiling water into a deep container and brew tea bags in it until the water turns dark brown. Add salt and granulated sugar. Stir.

Let the brine cool to 40C and pour in liquid smoke. Mix everything again.

Cut off the top with a thread from a plastic bottle with a capacity of 1.5 or 2 liters - such a bottle is a better container for smoking. If you put a fish carcass in a pan or other container, then one side of it will not stain, no matter how you turn it, but in the bottle the fish will turn golden on all sides! Rinse the inside of the bottle and pour the brine into it.

Dip the prepared carcass into it. The fish's tail should remain on top. The mackerel itself will not go all the way down - it needs a little help and pinched its tail to the bottle with clothespins. This way the whole carcass will be colored and smoked. Move the bottle with fish to the cold and leave it there for 2-3 days. Be sure to remove the clothespins every day and rotate the carcass slightly, as one side may be leaning against the bottle.

After the specified time, you can remove the smoked mackerel from the brine. It looks exactly like the one from the store, but that's not all.

Tie culinary twine to the fish tail and hang the carcass by the tail to drain and air dry for 2-4 hours. It is advisable to do this over the sink, like I did.

Rub dry-skinned mackerel with vegetable oil and it will simply shine. Now homemade smoked mackerel is ready. The fish can be served to the table.

Cut the carcass into portions.

Place them on a plate in a circle and garnish them to your liking for serving - don't forget the fresh herbs.

Enjoy your meal!

To make hot smoked mackerel really tasty, you first need to salt it. The recipe is easy, so anyone can handle it. First you need to rinse the fish under cold water. There is no need to cut off its head, tail or fins, since the whole mackerel can be smoked.

Now you need to get salt and spices to taste. They should be mixed until smooth, and then rub the surface of the fish. To salt mackerel well, you will need to wrap it in foil and send it to a cool place for at least a day. After this you can start smoking.

Rub the mackerel with the prepared brine

Alternatively, you can use brine. To do this, add 50 g of salt to 1 liter of water. Add spices to taste. The solution must be boiled and then allowed to cool. After that, pour it over the fish and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. For those who like a lightly salted version, it is recommended to rinse the mackerel before cooking it in a smokehouse using the hot method.

Hot smoking technology

Smoking mackerel takes less time than cooking pork or beef. How long does it take on average to make fish? In about 30 minutes, sometimes even less time is required. It takes longer to prepare than cooking in a smoker using the hot method.

To make the fish appetizing, you will need to know the right recipe. In general, there is nothing complicated in the process itself. Knowing how to smoke mackerel, the method of preparing other types of fish will also be clear.

First you need to prepare the smokehouse:

Take a smoking container. This can be either a specially purchased or a self-made smokehouse. For the second option, a regular metal bucket with a lid is suitable.

1. Place fruit tree chips inside. Spray them lightly with water.
2. Place inside the grill. They should first be washed and coated with vegetable oil.
3. Prepare a fire pit. By the way, you can use a grill for this purpose.
4. Light the fire and place the smoker over it. Place the fish inside and cover with a lid.

To prepare this hot smoked recipe correctly, you need to ensure that the heat is medium. About 10 minutes after starting, you need to open the lid and release excess smoke. After this, the container must be covered again and left for 15 minutes. It is advisable to turn the fish over on the other side during this time so that it is evenly treated with smoke.

The entire hot smoking process should not take more than 30 minutes. As a rule, the fish is ready in 20-25 minutes. It is not recommended to serve it immediately; let it cool slightly. If you want, you can eat it warm or already cold. In any case, it will be very tasty, and will become both a good independent dish and a snack.

Cold smoked recipe

The cold smoking process is much more difficult than the hot smoking method. Plus, it takes longer. On average, fish can be made in 10 hours, but you can keep it longer in a special smokehouse. The main thing is that the temperature in the container with mackerel does not exceed 25 degrees. Otherwise, it will no longer be a cold method, but a hot one. And it will lead to a different result.

The principle of cold smoking is as follows. The fish needs to be washed, the head can be cut off if desired, and then the carcass can be salted. After this, it will need to be hung in a special metal compartment, into which cooled smoke from the fire will flow. This is necessary so that the fish is smoked cold and not hot.

Cold smoking will allow you to store the product much longer

After a certain time has passed, the carcasses will need to be hung in the fresh air. They need to be kept in this form for several days, after which they can be sent for storage. A cold-cooked product can remain edible for quite a long time.

It is advisable to keep fish in a dark room with humidity in the range of 40-60% and a temperature of about 5-10 degrees. The product can be either folded into a wooden box or simply hung. If this is not possible, then you can simply wrap it in foil and place it in the refrigerator.

A cold-cooked product will decorate any table. It will be much tastier than the store-bought version and more interesting. You can serve sliced, garnished with herbs and onion rings. Guests and loved ones will certainly appreciate this recipe, so if possible, it’s really worth preparing it.

Mackerel marinade is used for salting fish at home, before baking in the oven or on a grill, and even before smoking. The mixture can be completely different - it can be brine with spices, if the fish needs to be salted, or a mixture with soy sauce and honey, when the carcass is being prepared for baking.

How to marinate mackerel at home?

It’s not at all difficult to prepare a marinade for mackerel at home, whether for pickling or baking. By following simple rules and simple recommendations, everything will definitely work out, and you will be able to enjoy delicious, aromatic fish.

1. For marinating, it is better to choose carcasses weighing about 300 g.
2. Marinate the fish in a container that does not oxidize; use glass or plastic.
3. Depending on the purpose, the marinating process can take from half an hour to 2 days.
4. You can marinate a whole carcass or cut into pieces.

Salted fish is present on every holiday table. You can buy it already salted, but sometimes the taste of the product leaves much to be desired - sometimes the fish is too salty, sometimes undersalted, and sometimes spices are used that you don’t like at all. Spicy salted mackerel marinade allows you to independently prepare very tasty lightly salted fish.

Ingredients:

• water – 1 glass;
• bay leaf, cloves – 3 pcs.;
• black peppercorns – 5 pcs.;
• sugar – 25 g;
• coriander – 10 g;
• dry white wine – 150 ml;
• salt – 60 g;
• mackerel – 1 pc.

Preparation

1. The fish is defrosted and cleaned.
2. Place all the spices in the water and boil the mackerel marinade for 2 minutes.
3. The fish is placed in a container, filled with brine, covered and sent into the cold for 2 days.

Before frying mackerel kebab, it is better to marinate the fish first. Then it will turn out more juicy and appetizing. A marinade for mackerel on the grill based on soy sauce with honey and lemon will make the fish simply delicious, so you are guaranteed gastronomic pleasure.

Ingredients:

• mackerel – 2 pcs.;
• lemon – 2 pcs.;
• honey – 1 teaspoon;
• soy sauce – 60 ml;
• salt, pepper, thyme, dill;
• oil.

Preparation

1. The mackerel is washed, cleaned, cut lengthwise into 2 parts, and the bone is removed.
2. The fish is placed in a container, salted, and sprigs of dill and thyme are placed.
3. The lemons are washed, one is cut into circles, the juice is squeezed out of the second, and the zest is grated.
4. Prepare a marinade for delicious mackerel: mix juice, zest, honey, soy sauce.
5. The mackerel is poured with marinade, served with lemon slices and pepper.
6. Cover the container and leave for half an hour.
7. Grease the grill with oil, lay out the fish with lemon and cook until golden brown.

Mackerel in mustard marinade

Marinade for mackerel for baking is prepared from simple ingredients available to everyone - onions, sour cream, soy sauce and mustard. Since the fish will then be baked, half an hour for marinating is enough. Baked mackerel with onion rings will turn out very piquant with an appetizing golden brown crust.

Ingredients:

• mackerel – 2 pcs.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• sour cream – 100 g;
• soy sauce, mustard - 40 g each.

Preparation

1. The mackerel is gutted and the head is cut off.
2. Cut the fish into pieces, place in a bowl, add chopped onion.
3. Prepare the marinade for mackerel: mix sour cream, soy sauce and mustard.
4. Pour the resulting mixture over the fish and leave for half an hour.
5. Place the mackerel with onions in a greased form and bake for half an hour at 170 degrees.

The marinade can be prepared in different ways. In this case, it is proposed to use a flavorful mixture of two types of mustard, garlic, lemon and soy sauce. Lemon will remove the unpleasant smell of mackerel, and the remaining ingredients will saturate the fish, making it unusually tender and tasty.

Ingredients:

• mackerel – 2 pcs.;
• lemon – 1 pc.;
• spicy mustard - 3 tbsp. spoons;
• mustard beans - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• soy sauce – 50 ml;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• spices for fish - a pinch;
• oil.

Preparation

1. The fish is defrosted, the head is cut off and the insides are cleaned from the carcass.
2. The mackerel is washed and dried.
3. For the marinade, mix both types of mustard, pour in soy sauce, add garlic, seasoning and mix.
4. The resulting marinade is coated with the carcass, lemon slices are placed in the middle and the fish is left to marinate for an hour and a half.
5. Grease the foil with oil, place the fish, wrap it and bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

If you decide to smoke the fish yourself, you need to remember that you first need to marinate it, and the taste of the original product depends on how well this is done. The marinade is prepared using brine with spices. The carcasses are kept in it for 24 hours, and then they are dried and smoked.

Ingredients:

• water – 1 liter;
• salt – 1.5 tbsp. spoons;
• sugar – 3 tbsp. spoons;
• coriander seeds – ½ teaspoon;
• black pepper and allspice peas – 5 pcs.;
• bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
• mackerel – 2 pcs.

Preparation

1. Prepare a marinade for delicious mackerel: boil water, add salt and spices, bring to a boil and cool.
2. The fish is poured with marinade, a weight is placed on top and put in the cold for a day.
3. After this, the fish is hung to drain the liquid, and then smoking begins.

Salted mackerel is very tasty. And in order not to buy a finished product of dubious quality, it is recommended to prepare the marinade for pickling mackerel yourself. In this case, you can adjust the set of spices by removing or adding some. Instead of vinegar, you can use lemon juice.

Ingredients:

• mackerel – 2 pcs.;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• vinegar – 70 ml;
• oil – 100 ml;
• salt – 90 g;
• bay leaf, cloves - 2 pcs.;
• allspice peas – 5 pcs.

Preparation

1. The fish is cleaned, gutted, separated along the ridge, and the bone is removed.
2. The fillet is cut into pieces.
3. The onion is chopped into rings.
4. Oil is mixed with vinegar and spices are added.
5. Place the fillet on the bottom of the dish, salt it, mix and leave for 10 minutes.
6. Lay out the onions, pour in the marinade.
7. Leave the fish for 12 hours, and then put the salted mackerel in the marinade in the cold for 2 hours.

The recipe for mackerel marinade based on soy sauce is extremely simple. The sauce mixed with water is the whole marinade. And if you want to add some spicy notes, then you can safely put your favorite spices in it. Fish drenched in this marinade will be ready for consumption within a day.

Ingredients:

• mackerel – 2 pcs.;
• water, soy sauce - 100 ml each.

Preparation

1. The fish is washed, cleaned, the tail and head are cut off and cut into pieces 2 cm thick.
2. Place the pieces tightly into the container.
3. Mix soy sauce with water, pour over the fish, close the container with a lid and put it in the cold for a day.

It is prepared in pieces with the addition of mustard powder and standard ingredients - salt, sugar and bay leaf. Fish marinated in this way can be stored in the cold for up to 7 days. This appetizer is suitable for both a regular dinner and a holiday table.

Ingredients:

• mackerel – 2 pcs.;
• water – 1 liter;
• mustard powder – 1 teaspoon;
• sugar – 3 tbsp. spoons;
• salt – 5 tbsp. spoon;
• bay leaf – 4 pcs.

Preparation

1. After boiling, add spices to the water and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the stove, cover with a lid and leave to cool.
3. Gutted mackerel is cut into pieces 3 cm wide and placed in a glass bowl.
4. Pour in cooled liquid.
5. The mackerel pieces in the marinade will be ready in a day.

Mackerel marinated with carrots and onions

- This is an excellent snack for strong alcoholic drinks. Therefore, this dish is irreplaceable at any feast. The fish is poured not with cold, but with warm marinade and therefore becomes softer and more tender. Adding vegetables and dill seeds will make the mackerel even more appetizing.