Home-Canned Mackerel & Vegetable Salad for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you pick good mackerel? For canning, use fresh or freshly frozen fish. When you buy it, check the look: the body should be an even silver color with dark stripes, no damage or yellowish spots. To thaw freshly frozen fish, move it to the bottom shelf of the fridge ahead of time and don't let it thaw all the way — slightly frozen mackerel is easier to cut.

2. Step 2:

   

   The weights in the recipe are for the trimmed, cleaned vegetables. Wash ripe, juicy tomatoes and pat them dry. Grate them on a coarse grater (or run them through a meat grinder or food processor) and discard the skins. Or score an X on each tomato, dip it in boiling water for 1–2 minutes, slip off the skin, and purée in a blender. Wash and peel the onions and cut them into half-rings. Peel the carrots with a knife or vegetable peeler and grate them on a coarse grater or a julienne (Korean-style) grater.

3. Step 3:

   

   How do you fillet mackerel properly? Rinse the fish. Cut off the tail, fins, and head. Slit it open and gut it. Remove the black membrane inside — it's bitter. Leave the skin on. Cut down along the backbone to the spine. Turn the fish on its side and, with a sharp knife, slice the flesh away from the backbone. Flip the fish and cut the fillet from the other side. Rinse. Cut each fillet into evenly sized pieces (about 3–5 per fillet). You'll want 4 kg (about 8¾ lb) of fillet for this recipe.

4. Step 4:

   

   Put the grated tomatoes, carrots, and sliced onions in a large pot. Add the salt, sugar, and refined sunflower oil.

5. Step 5:

   

   Stir the vegetable mixture and set it over medium heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to the minimum and simmer for about 1 hour 20 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   The vegetables will cook down into a fairly thick sauce.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add the bay leaves and peppercorns.

8. Step 8:

   

   Stir the fish fillet into the vegetable mixture. Gently fold everything together and let it simmer, covered, over low heat for another 40 minutes, stirring now and then.

9. Step 9:

   

   Pour the vinegar into the pot and stir. Taste it. If you like, add a little more salt, vinegar, and spices. Simmer over low heat for 10 more minutes, then turn it off.

10. Step 10:

    

    Get your jars ready (16 oz / 500 ml). Wash them well with baking soda. Set them upside down in a cold oven and heat for 15 minutes at 250°F (120°C), then let them cool. You can also sterilize the jars in the microwave or over steam. Spoon the boiling-hot fish salad into the jars.

11. Step 11:

    

    Wash the metal lids with baking soda and boil them for 10 minutes. Drain and let them cool a little. Seal the jars with the lids and turn them upside down. Wrap them in a blanket and leave them (about a day) until completely cool.

12. Step 12:

    Store the canned fish salad somewhere cold (a cellar or the fridge). It's great alongside mashed potatoes, and you can also turn it into a tasty soup or a filling for blini and pies — it's even good with just bread. Enjoy!