Whole mackerel in brine

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   How to pickle whole mackerel in brine so that it turns out to be no worse than store-bought? It's actually very simple. First, prepare the necessary ingredients according to the list. Mackerel can be used fresh or frozen. I have a frozen fish that needs to be properly thawed before salting. You can add more allspice and bay leaf if you want to get a more fragrant fish.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. Step 3:

   

   While the water is boiling, prepare the fish. If it is already gutted, then just rinse it thoroughly. Frozen fish usually need to be cleaned additionally. To do this, do not defrost it to the end. Frozen fish is easier to clean. Remove the insides, black films inside the abdomen, remove the gills. Rinse everything thoroughly.

4. Step 4:

   

   Pour salt and sugar into the boiling water, add allspice and bay leaves. Mix everything well until all the crystals dissolve. Cool the brine completely at room temperature.

6. Step 5:

   

   Put the mackerel belly up straight into a saucepan with cooled brine, if it fits there. I had a big fish, so I put it in a bigger pot. First, hold the pan for 4-5 hours at room temperature. Then cover the pan with a lid and refrigerate for 2 days.

7. Step 6:

   

   After a few hours, the brine will turn from a transparent to a cloudy pink color - it's the remnants of blood left from the fish. The fish will turn out to be medium salted in 28-30 hours. If you want it to be salted harder, leave it for the whole 48 hours. 2-3 hours before the end of salting, turn the fish belly down so that it is also salted.

8. Step 7:

   

   Remove the finished mackerel from the brine, dry with paper towels, cut into portions and serve with potatoes and dill. The old Russian snack is ready. Enjoy your meal!