How to pickle mackerel for hot smoking. Smoking mackerel - the best recipes

Hot smoked mackerel at home in a smokehouse is prepared very quickly. This is an ideal fish for smoking, the meat is fatty, tasty and there are few bones.

Smokehouses for hot smoking mackerel

At home, use any hot smoked smokehouse. If you don’t have a portable smokehouse, you can buy special packages for hot smoking (express smokehouse). It is convenient to cook in an apartment (oven), over a fire.
Cold smoking of mackerel is a long process; the smokehouse must be large and, as a rule, stationary. Alternatively, you can

How to smoke mackerel in a hot smoker

The actual recipe for hot smoking mackerel is quite simple, the main thing is to follow temperature regime and cooking time. A fish without scales, a lot of heat under the smokehouse and the mackerel will dry out, the skin will crack and turn black.

The average temperature is about 45/50 degrees (semi-hot smoking), the smoking time depends on the volume of the smokehouse, on average 20-30 minutes (spring-summer).

How to prepare mackerel for smoking

Before smoking, the carcasses are gutted, it is better to make a cut slightly above the abdomen, and cut off the head or remove the gills (bitterness). Rinse the ridge until the blood is completely removed and salt the fish using a dry method or marinade. The addition of spices/spices depends on the taste of the smoker. For hot smoking, salt + a little black pepper is enough. For a half-kilogram mackerel, take about a heaping tablespoon of salt. It is enough to salt with dry salting for 3/4 hours, in the marinade for 12/24 hours. It is not necessary to rinse after salting, just wipe. Carcasses must be dried to remove moisture. good wind The fish takes about an hour to dry.

How to smoke mackerel in a smokehouse

Wood chips or thin branches of any fruit trees/shrubs are placed in the smokehouse. You can smoke with alder, rowan (without bark), willow, acacia, sea buckthorn... It is best to mix different branches/chips; during the hot smoking process, each gives the mackerel a special aroma. They put in enough to just cover the bottom, too much smoke is bitterly sour + black fish! It is advisable to place a tray on the wood chips so that the dripping juices do not give the fish a bitter taste.

Mackerel smoking process

First, the smokehouse is placed over the fire, when white smoke appears, a grate with mackerel is inserted. In a small smokehouse, you definitely need to release the moisture. After ten minutes, remove the smoker from the heat and open it slightly, otherwise the fish will cook and the skin will burst. The appearance of clear steam during hot smoking indicates that the mackerel is ready. We take out the grill with the fish and, drooling, wait until it cools down. The melted fat/juice will be absorbed into the mackerel, the meat will become stronger and will be very tasty.

Mackerel is ideal for smoking. Mackerel can be smoked hot or cold. The first method is to cook fish at a temperature of 80–120 °C. Hot smoked fish cannot be stored for a long time, no more than 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Cold smoking of mackerel is a longer process at a temperature of about 30 °C. This is not heat treatment, but saturation of the product with smoke. If prepared at home, it will be stored for 10–14 days.

At home, it is best to smoke mackerel in a smokehouse using a hot method. It's easier, faster and safer because the fish is cooked.

Hot smoking

To smoke mackerel in a smokehouse, you will need the following ingredients:

• fatty fish (several pieces of the same size);
• ground black pepper;
• seasoning for fish;
• salt.

How to cook:

1. Prepare the fish: remove the insides of the fish, you can leave the heads. Rinse under running water and dry with towels.
2. Rub the carcasses with moth, pepper and seasoning.
3. Place the fish in a container and cover with film. Place in the refrigerator for at least three hours, ideally overnight.
4. Place a thin layer of wood chips into the smoker. You can take alder, bird cherry or apple.
5. Place currant leaves on the grill so that the fish does not stick, then the carcasses (head to tail) so that there is space between them.
6. Close the smoker and smoke over low heat for about 20 minutes.

Mackerel cooks very quickly and turns out juicy and tasty, imbued with the aroma of smoke and seasonings.

Pickling methods

You can marinate mackerel for smoking in other ways.

Seasoned

Recipes for smoked mackerel differ in the composition of the marinades.

To make a seasoned marinade, you need the following ingredients:

• a tablespoon of salt;
• a teaspoon of granulated sugar;
• three pieces of cloves;
• ½ teaspoon turmeric;
• one Bay leaf;
• five coriander grains;
• seasoning for fish (optional).

Preparation:

1. It is better to cut the fish before it is completely defrosted - it is more convenient. Gut it, cut off the head, wash it.
2. Mix salt, turmeric and sand. Grate the carcasses both inside and outside, put coriander, cloves, and chopped bay leaf in the belly.
3. Cover the fish with cling film and put it in the refrigerator overnight.
4. In the morning, rinse the fish under running water, dry and place in the smokehouse for 30 minutes.

If you don’t like the bitterness of turmeric, you don’t have to put it in the marinade.

In brine

To prepare it you will need the following components:

• 4 liters of water;
• 250 g granulated sugar;
• 0.5 kg salt;
• 75 ml lemon juice;
• allspice;
• garlic powder;
• two teaspoons of ground white pepper;
• spoon of onion powder.

Mix all ingredients until salt and sugar are completely dissolved.

Cut the mackerel into fillets and place it in a container (not metal) and pour in the marinade so that the fish is completely covered with brine. Place in a cool place for half an hour

While the fish is marinating, prepare the smoker. Grease the grate with oil to prevent the mackerel from sticking. Remove the fillet from the brine, rinse, air dry and place the fillet skin side down on a rack. Close the smokehouse with a lid, and after smoke appears, smoke for about 20 minutes.

Benefits and harms

Smoked products, including mackerel, cannot be considered healthy. It’s tasty, but harmful, so you can’t eat it a lot and often. If fresh fish- source useful substances, then pre-salted and treated with smoke, it acquires many harmful properties.

The main harm of smoked mackerel is the high content of salt and carcinogens. It should not be eaten by people with hypertension, gastrointestinal and kidney diseases.

In onion skins

This mackerel is not actually smoked. It resembles it thanks to onion skins and tea leaves, which give it its characteristic color.

What do you need:

• two large mackerel;
• two large handfuls of onion peels;
• three large spoons of salt;
• one and a half spoons of sugar;
• ½ cup of strongly brewed tea;
• 1 liter of water;
• black peppercorns;
• allspice peas;
• a teaspoon of coriander seeds;
• two bay leaves.

Preparing the marinade:

1. Pour water into a saucepan and place on the stove.
2. When it boils, add the onion skins and cook for about 10 minutes. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes, then strain.
3. Add sugar, salt, coriander, pepper, bay leaf to the broth and stir. After this, pour in the tea leaves, cover with a lid and let cool.
4. Cut the mackerel: gut it, cut off the heads and rinse thoroughly.
5. Place the carcasses in a bowl of suitable size and fill with brine, place a flat plate on top and place a weight. Place in the refrigerator for two to three days. The mackerel needs to be turned over periodically so that it is evenly salted and colored.
6. Remove the fish from the marinade, place on a paper towel and leave to dry for 1-2 hours. To make the process go faster, turn it over sometimes. The fish can be hung by their tails to drain the liquid.
7. Lubricate the surface of the carcasses vegetable oil, after which you can cut and serve.

In appearance, this mackerel is very similar to smoked mackerel and has an original taste.

Cold smoking

This is a more responsible process that requires strict adherence to cooking technology.

If for the hot method you need a smokehouse, in which the source of smoke is located directly under the food chamber (you can smoke on a grill or on a fire), then for the cold method you need another unit, where the hearth is located at a distance so that the smoke has time to pass through the chimney cool down.

A smokehouse for cold smoking consists of a compartment for products, where there are grates or hooks for hanging products, a smoke source remote at a distance, and a chimney connecting the smoking chamber to the fire source.

Both the preparation process and the recipe for smoking mackerel are different. It is important to remember how much time to smoke. If you do everything right, the fish will not disappoint.

What you need for dry salting:

• mackerel - several pieces;
• salt – 100 g per 1 kg of fish;
• sugar – 10 g per 1 kg of fish;
• Bay leaf;
• garlic;
• peppercorns.

Gut the mackerel and rinse. Grind and mix all ingredients for pickling. Rub each carcass inside and out with the dry mixture, place in a bowl, sprinkle the fish with salt on top and put in the refrigerator for two days. It is important to remember to periodically turn the fish over.

Wet pickling involves preparing a brine, which requires the following ingredients:

• 120 g of salt per 1 liter of water;
• bay leaf and other spices to taste.

Bring water to a boil, add salt, bay leaf and other spices. When the salt has dissolved, remove the container with brine from the stove and cool. Place the prepared mackerel in a bowl and pour in brine so that the fish is completely covered with it. Three medium carcasses require approximately 1 liter of marinade. Keep in the refrigerator for two days.

When two days have passed, you need to check how the fish has been salted. To do this, cut off a small piece and try. If there is too much salt, the fish needs to be soaked for about two hours. Then rinse the mackerel thoroughly in running water and hang it out to dry by the tails, spreading the belly and inserting matches.

When excess moisture has drained, the fish can be placed in the smoking chamber prepared for use - hung on hooks or laid out on grates

The smokehouse is closed, the countdown will begin from the moment when smoke breaks out from under the lid.

The process should take place at a temperature of 20 to 30 °C for 12 to 24 hours.

If smoking is carried out using a smoke generator, then you need to pour wood chips into it, set it on fire and turn on the compressor.

After the process is completed, hang the fish on fresh air for a few hours. Only after airing can you try cold smoked mackerel.

This fish can be stored for no more than 14 days in the refrigerator.

Hello everyone, dear readers! Glad you visited this page! Today we will talk about how to make a marinade for hot smoked mackerel. In fact, there are recipes a large number of, the most important thing is the sequence of the cooking process of such a special product.

The further taste of the fish depends on the marinade, and experts testify to this in many videos from the Internet. I will reveal some secrets and observations in this article.

A quick way to marinate fish is to prepare the pickle using ingredients that are always available in any kitchen. So, in order to add more flavor, you should use simple recipes that even an inexperienced cook or a novice can follow.

Simple marinade

What will you need? It’s easy to prepare, you just need to take:

• fish, about 1 kg
• prepare water – 2 liters
• lemon juice – 1-2 tbsp. spoons
• a few bay leaves
• a glass of salt and the same amount of sugar
• onion peel
• garlic – 2 cloves
• black pepper - peas.

Preparation process: boil water, add salt and sugar, add a few bay leaves and onion peels. Next add lemon juice and chopped garlic cloves. Cook it all over the fire for 10-12 minutes, after which do not forget to cool the brine. Leave the mackerel in it for 120 minutes, after which you take it out and dry it, and at the end you begin the hot smoking process.

Marinade with laurel and coriander

What do you need? The recipe is extremely easy, you need to prepare the following ingredients:

• fish – 2 pieces
• water about one liter
• sugar and salt 3 dessert spoons each
• a little pepper and coriander - 1 tbsp. l.
• bay leaves - 5-6 pieces
• a little clove spice

How to cook? First, pour one liter of water into the pan. Next, start the process of boiling the fish, then add salt and sugar. At the end, as soon as the dish has boiled, throw the remaining ingredients into the pan. It is necessary to soak the mackerel in this brine a little and a lot - 12 hours. At the end, just hang it by the tail for a few hours so that the water drains from it.

These types of marinades are completely suitable for preparing not only fish in a smokehouse, but also for making the dish more refined and rich in the aromas of spices.

Some tips and tricks for preparing mackerel before smoking

It would seem that at home it is virtually impossible to make the same dish as it is served in elite expensive restaurants. But this is a completely erroneous opinion of those who are lazy to spend extra hours on the cooking process. An important stage The best place to start with hot smoking is washing the product and properly cleaning it.

You can smoke the fish along with the entrails and head, as I do. But I still recommend gutting large carcasses completely, and completely separating the head and tail from the main part. The trick is that it would be correct to cut the carcass into steaks. And the latter are easier to marinate in pieces, because each one can be soaked in prepared brine or sauce.

Do not remove the scales, because they can retain moisture and trap harmful substances contained in smoke. After you have processed the pieces, dry them, or better yet, blot them with regular water. paper napkin. And at the end, start marinating.

Reviews from many Internet users indicate that there are still many gentle and incredible recipes preparations. I will share one of them with you now:

Alena, 32 years old: “Hello everyone, I would like to briefly share my signature recipe for mackerel marinade. It's simple: take 1.5 liters of water, 5 cloves, 3 tbsp. l. salt, a little allspice and cumin (no more than 1 teaspoon), dry red wine. The whole trick is in the alcohol, so boil the water with salt and cloves for 15 minutes. Cool, add other ingredients and stir it all. It is the wine that will make the fish pieces tender, juicy and aromatic. Bon appetit!".

I liked this recipe because it is quite simple and memorable. Besides, who would have thought that red dry wine Can be used for hot smoked mackerel! This is incredible!
Dear readers, as you can see, what to do delicious marinade– you don’t need many ingredients.

You just need to take the main products that are in every kitchen, and hot smoked mackerel will become one of your main dishes. Subscribe to articles and share useful information with us in social networks! Bon appetit everyone, and see you again!

Smoked fish is a very tasty and aromatic delicacy. But it is impossible to accurately determine the freshness of store-bought smoked mackerel. Moreover, hot smoked products are not intended for long-term storage. But to protect yourself from a low-quality product, you can prepare it yourself. Hot smoked mackerel in a smokehouse at home turns out even tastier than store bought.

Mackerel itself is a very fatty fish, and after smoking the fat content does not go away; the fish does not have time to “dry”.

The time for hot smoking mackerel is usually up to 30 minutes.

100 grams of finished smoked mackerel contains an average of 220 kcal. When choosing not too oily fish calorie content falls in the range of 150-200 kcal per 100 grams.

How to choose mackerel for smoking

It is advisable to buy fish only in trusted stores or from familiar sellers in markets. This makes it less likely that you will buy a low-quality original product.

You should choose medium-sized mackerel for smoking. You can take freshly frozen fish, but without a crust of ice.

Pickling recipes

A dish such as mackerel cooked in a smokehouse has many marinade recipes. And even with a small amount of ingredients, hot smoked mackerel turns out juicy and aromatic.

Preparing fish for smoking:

• First you need to defrost the fish. This must be done without a microwave or other heating devices, since with such “accelerated” defrosting the fish meat becomes tougher. Just fill the frozen carcasses with water and leave them warm overnight;
• after this, the fish must be washed with running water and the head cut off;
• remove all the giblets and remove the black film inside the belly. There is no need to trim the tail and fins, since the fish can be smoked whole.

Recipe No. 1

This is a very simple dry way to salt fish before smoking. For one fish you will need only three ingredients:

• salt – 100 grams;
• seasoning for fish – 5 grams;
• grill seasoning – 10 grams.

The fish must be wiped with a mixture of seasonings and salt and placed in an enamel bowl. Place the press on top and put it in the refrigerator to pickle for 5-6 hours. After this, the fish must be wiped with napkins and left to dry for 30-40 minutes, after which it can be sent to the smokehouse.

Recipe No. 2

As a rule, the most delicious dishes prepared from a minimum set of ingredients. Preparing to smoke mackerel also does not require much seasoning, just salt is enough.

Take salt and rub the fish carcass well both inside and outside. Place the fish in a pan and press down with a press, then leave in a cool place for a day. During this time, the fish meat will be sufficiently saturated with salt, and the smokehouse will add the aroma of smoke.

Recipe No. 3

The fish, combined with the citrusy aroma of lemon, has a unique aroma. To prepare smoked fish with a “lemon” flavor you will need (for one piece of mackerel):

• lemon – 1 pc.;
• salt – 100 grams.

The fish carcass must be rubbed with salt. Cut the lemon into thin slices and stuff the fish carcass with it, then place it in a container. Fish with lemon filling must be kept in the refrigerator for up to 10-12 hours. Afterwards, remove the mackerel from the refrigerator and dry for 1 hour. The fish can be placed in the smoker directly with the lemon filling.

Recipe No. 4

This recipe uses brine. Since fish is salted better in brine, less salt is required than in other recipes. To prepare the brine you will need:

• water – 1 liter;
• salt – 50 grams;
• spices to taste.

The water must be put on fire and salt and spices must be added. Bring the liquid to a boil and remove from heat. Let the brine cool. Then pour brine over the fish and leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. To make the fish lightly salted, it can be washed with water after salting and dried before smoking.

How to smoke hot smoked mackerel

To make it fragrant and tasty, use sawdust from trees such as alder, apple or plum. In stores you can buy ready-made sawdust in packages of different sizes.

Sawdust should be poured onto the bottom of the smokehouse and sprinkled with water; You can pre-soak them briefly - this will give more smoke. The amount of sawdust usually depends on the volume of your smokehouse. For example, a standard iron smoking box that is placed on a gas stove usually takes two handfuls of wood chips.

A tray is installed over the wood chips; in ready-made smokehouses it is included in the kit, but it must be made for it. It is needed to collect dripping fat - from high temperatures, fat begins to drip down, fall on the hot bottom of the smokehouse and burn. This will certainly ruin the taste of whatever you smoke. Therefore, a drip tray is a must in hot smokers.

The fish must be placed in the smokehouse, close the lid and put the entire structure on the fire. If you smoke at home, in your kitchen, then you also need to pour water into the water seal (this is also required for home smokehouses!), attach a smoke exhaust pipe and lead it out the window.

Preparation will take 30 minutes. The time is measured from the moment when the first smoke begins to come out of the smokehouse - this will mean that the smoke has completely filled the entire volume.

It is important to know that after half the time, it is advisable to “ventilate” the smokehouse, that is, lift the lid and release the accumulated smoke. This way the mackerel will not taste bitter. Of course, this is only possible outdoors, and not in an apartment.

The benefits of smoked mackerel

1. Coensine in fish prevents skin aging;
2. Fatty acids in smoked fish help strengthen cell membranes and remove waste and toxins from the body, which provoke the development of many diseases;
3. With moderate consumption of mackerel, you can protect yourself from thrombosis and disorders of the cardiovascular system.

Harm of smoked mackerel

1. Mackerel smoked using the hot smoking method turns out to be very fatty, since when high temperature the fat melts and soaks the meat. Therefore it is not recommended to use smoked fish a lot at once;
2. Fish must be smoked naturally without adding liquid smoke. When used, the content of harmful substances increases significantly;
3. Smoked fish, due to its “heaviness,” is not recommended for people with intestinal and stomach problems.

1. During hot smoking, the skin of the fish may wrinkle and peel off the carcass. To prevent this from happening, the fish must be tied with a rope before smoking. If you have a large smokehouse in which you can hang the carcasses rather than place them on grates, then tying is absolutely necessary - otherwise, at the end of smoking, the soft mackerel meat may simply fall apart;
2. Large fish turns out juicier if it is cut into portions before smoking;
3. If you rub the fish with sugar (preferably brown) when salting, the fish meat will be more tender;
4. Soy sauce in the brine will add a spicy taste to the finished product.

Bottom line

Hot smoked mackerel contains many beneficial vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids. With the right smoking technology, you can get a healthy and tasty product at any time of the year using home smoking.

Smoked mackerel, prepared at home with your own hands, you and your guests will definitely enjoy it. Unfortunately, you rarely see high-quality fresh products on store shelves. Manufacturers often use harmful chemical additives and cheap dyes. And we would really like to please our family and guests and offer delicious mackerel prepared with natural products.

We offer several recipes with and without the use of liquid smoke, we hope that smoked mackerel will become traditional festive dish your family.

To prepare delicious fish Always use fresh or freshly frozen product, pay attention to the storage conditions and shelf life. If the product has been defrosted several times, the cooking result will disappoint you; the meat inside will be loose and mushy.

So, to prepare delicious smoked mackerel we will need:

• Fresh mackerel - 3 medium carcasses, approximately 1 kg.
• Tea leaves - 2 tablespoons;
• Coarse salt, preferably sea salt - 5 level tablespoons;
• Sugar - 2-3 tablespoons without top;
• Liquid smoke - 4 tablespoons;
• Boiled water - 1 liter.

We will also need plastic bottle capacity 2 liters.

Before cooking, defrost the fish, wash it, cut off the head and carefully gut it so as not to damage the meat and the skin is smooth and beautiful.

Prepare the marinade. Pour boiling water over the tea leaves, add a little salt, sugar and liquid smoke. It is better to prepare the marinade in advance; we need it cooled to room temperature.

Wash the plastic bottle and cut it off top part so that the carcass fits in length. Place the prepared fish upside down and pour in the marinade.

Place in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If the contents in the bottle are tightly packed, you need to turn it over several times to get a rich taste.

When our fish is marinated, we take it out of the refrigerator and hang it by the tails for a couple of hours to dry. For fastening it is convenient to use metal paper clips. As a result, we get a beautiful golden color and a pleasant aroma of smoked mackerel. Lubricate before serving sunflower oil, cut into pieces and decorate with lemon, olives, and herbs.

Now we will share a recipe on how to cook smoked mackerel at home without adding liquid smoke.

Smoked mackerel without liquid smoke

• Fresh mackerel - 3 medium fish;
• Coarse salt - 4 tablespoons;
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons;
• Tea leaves - 3 tablespoons;
• Onion peel - 1 cup.
• Spices to taste (black pepper, allspice, coriander, bay leaf) or use a store-bought set of spices for marinating fish.

Prepare the mackerel. It must be defrosted, washed, cut off the head and remove the entrails. Gutting must be done carefully so as not to damage the carcass. Don't remove the skin, it will ruin it appearance ready dish.

Prepare the marinade. Brew tea in a liter of boiling water, add spices and onion skins. Let the marinade simmer for 5-10 minutes until saturated Brown. Spices should give off their aroma. Cool to room temperature and add salt and sugar. The marinade is ready.

Place the prepared fish in a convenient container, cover with marinade and refrigerate for 3-4 days. After this, remove, dry and hang the carcasses by the tails for 3-4 hours. Before serving, wipe with vegetable oil. You should end up with smoked mackerel of a beautiful golden color with a delicate aroma of spices.

Mashed potatoes are great as a side dish. vegetable stew, sauté, rice with vegetables.

Hot smoked mackerel in a home smokehouse

To prepare you will need:

Thawed mackerel - 4 pieces;

Seasoning for smoking fish - 1 sachet or use spices separately. They harmonize perfectly: bay leaf, coriander, peppercorns, allspice and others to taste;

Coarse salt - 3 tablespoons;

Fruit tree sawdust - 2-3 handfuls.

Thaw the carcasses. Remove heads and entrails and rinse thoroughly. Rub with salt and spices and place in a cool place for 5 hours. Then remove and dry with a paper towel so that during smoking the excess fat does not drip and the skin does not crack.

Smoked mackerel tastes better if you dry it in a cool place for 10-12 hours.

When placing fish on the smokehouse grate, it is important that they do not touch each other, but are kept at a short distance, about 5 cm. It is better to tie the mackerel with a rope. Thanks to this technique, it remains intact, the skin bursts less and all the juice remains inside.

Place the prepared fish on medium heat and open it every 5-10 minutes and release the smoke to avoid bitterness. The skin bursts from strong fire, so the temperature should be low.

The dish cooks quickly, about 15 minutes, and turns out tender and flavorful. Goes great with grilled vegetables or baked potatoes.