Homemade Brined Mackerel: Tender, Tasty, and Preservative-Free

The easiest recipe for salting fish at home! Whole mackerel in brine turns out much more tender, tastier, softer than store-bought, and most importantly, it is prepared without preservatives. Salting mackerel yourself is not only easy, but also much cheaper!
cook time: 48h
Ava Prescott
Homemade Brined Mackerel: Tender, Tasty, and Preservative-Free

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

43
Calories
2g
Fat
3g
Carbs
3g
Protein

Ingredients (3 portions)

Basic:

Mackerel 1 pc

Brine:

Water 1 l
Allspice 15 pc
Bay leaf 3 pc
Salt 4 tbsp
Sugar 1.5 tbsp

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to pickle whole mackerel in brine so that it turns out no worse than store-bought? Itʼs actually very simple. To begin, prepare the necessary ingredients according to the list. You can use fresh or frozen mackerel. I have frozen fish, which must be properly defrosted before salting. You can add more allspice and bay leaves if you want a more flavorful fish.

Step 2

Step 2
Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Step 3

Step 3
While the water is boiling, prepare the fish. If it is already gutted, then just rinse it thoroughly. Frozen fish usually requires additional cleaning. To do this, do not defrost it completely. Frozen fish are easier to clean. Remove the entrails, black films inside the abdomen, and remove the gills. Rinse everything thoroughly.

Step 4

Step 4
Pour salt and sugar into boiling water, add allspice and bay leaves. Mix everything well until all the crystals dissolve. Cool the brine completely to room temperature.

Step 5

Step 5
Place the mackerel, belly up, directly into the saucepan with the cooled brine, if it will fit there. My fish was large, so I put it in a larger pan. First keep the pan for 4-5 hours at room temperature. Then cover the pan with a lid and refrigerate for 2 days.

Step 6

Step 6
After just a few hours, the brine will turn from transparent to a cloudy pink color — this is the remaining blood from the fish. The fish will be medium salted in 28-30 hours. If you want it to be salted more strongly, leave it for the full 48 hours. 2-3 hours before the end of salting, turn the fish belly down so that it is also salted.

Step 7

Step 7
Remove the finished mackerel from the brine, dry with paper towels, cut into portions and serve with potatoes and dill. The ancient Russian appetizer is ready. Bon appetit!

Additional rubrics

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