Salting mackerel with liquid smoke. Smoked mackerel at home: on the grill, pan, air grill

White meat of mackerel is healthy and tasty, as if it were not cooked. There are many ways to cook: you can bake fish in the oven, stew, pickle. Also, the fish can be smoked. Smoked fish has a bright aroma and taste, and is perfect for a festive table.

Smoked mackerel - preparing food and dishes

There are several ways to smoke fish at home, however, no matter how you decide to do this, you need to prepare the mackerel beforehand.

It’s worth buying fish in “trusted” stores, where you probably don’t meet expired goods. A good frozen fish should have a uniform carcass without friability and odors. In no case do not buy fish if there is no thick layer of ice on it, because sellers often hide its poor quality by this.

There are two ways to smoke fish. The first (and only true) is to cook fish in a real smokehouse. The fish is saturated with smoke from sawdust and will acquire an incomparable aroma. However, it is unlikely that every housewife has such an apparatus at home. In this case, use the second method, using liquid smoke. This pseudo-smoking will allow you to get tasty fish without huge labor costs. Liquid smoke will be the second main ingredient after fish. Additives in 200 ml and this is enough for eight to ten times cooking.

The “grill” of mackerel will accelerate the process of grilling, in which the desired temperature is pumped by moving blades.

Mackerel smoking recipes:

Recipe 1: Smoked Mackerel

Ingredients Required:

  • Mineral water for brine - 1.2 liters
  • Mackerel - 3-4 carcasses
  • Sugar - 1 1/2 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
  • Husk from 2 bulbs

Cooking method:

  • Prepare the fish. To do this, first clean it, cut off the head and tail, gut it well. Remember to remove the black film.
  • Pour water into a saucepan, heat, add salt, sugar, onion husks, bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Strain the marinade, cool. Add liquid smoke.
  • Pour the fish with the resulting marinade, and hold it under load at room temperature for 26-30 hours. After that, turn the fish over and transfer it to the refrigerator for two days, also under load. Turn the fish over every day.
  • Recipe 2: Smoked Mackerel (cook 2 days)

    This recipe is similar to the previous one, but by changing the recipe for preparing the brine, you “smoke” the fish faster, in about two days.

    Ingredients Required:

    • 1 liter of purified brine water
    • Mackerel - 3-4 carcasses
    • Husk from two onions
    • Sugar - 2-3 tbsp
    • Liquid smoke 1 tablespoon

    Cooking method:

  • Pour mineral water into the pan, put the peel of the onion there and, bringing to a boil, cook for 25 minutes.
  • Then remove the broth from the heat and leave for 10-12 hours, after which add salt, sugar and liquid smoke to the marinade.
  • Clean the fish, cut off the head and tail, remove the offal and fill it with the resulting brine. Squeeze with weight and put "smoked" for 2 days in the refrigerator. Remember to turn the fish over.
  • Recipe 3: Smoked Mackerel in Air Grill

    If you have an air grill, then you do not need to wait long for the fish to "soot". In addition to liquid smoke and salt, prepare in advance a plastic bag for pickling mackerel.

    Ingredients Required:

    • Liquid smoke - 2 tablespoons
    • Mackerel - 4-5 carcasses

    Cooking method:

  • Prepare the fish. Gut it, cut off the head and tail. Lubricate the inside with salt (about one tablespoon per carcass), smear the carcass itself with liquid smoke.
  • Put the fish in a bag, add liquid smoke there and tie it tightly. Leave the mackerel to marinate for forty minutes. Then remove it and wipe it well so that the fish becomes dry.
  • Turn on the air grill, set the temperature to 200 degrees. Put the fish on the middle wire rack and cook for 25 minutes.
  • Recipe 4: Smoking Mackerel (using an electric smoker)

    Do you have a small home smokehouse? In this case, you can completely do without liquid smoke. The recipe is simple, and the fish turns out to be as close as possible to the smoked taste. Do not forget to prepare fruit or alder sawdust, a spoonful of tea and sugar for the smokehouse.

    Ingredients Required:

    • Mackerel
    • Lemon - ½ pieces

    Cooking method:

  • Cut off the head of the fish, remove the offal, wash, grease inside with salt.
  • Slice the lemon, put it inside the fish and place it in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
  • Take the fruit chips and lay them on a pallet. Pour one tablespoon of sugar and black fine loose tea onto the sawdust.
  • Dry the fish and lower it into the smokehouse. The first 10 minutes, the mackerel should be cooked without smoke, then insert the pan and cook with smoke for 25 minutes. Then turn off the electric smoker, but do not remove the lid, let the mackerel lie there for another 20 minutes.
  • Recipe 5: Smoking Mackerel (using a country smokehouse)

    Smoked fish will bring you less trouble if you have a country smokehouse. The recipe is simple, but in any case, the fish will need to be pickled for a day in the refrigerator.

    Ingredients Required:

    • Mackerel

    Cooking method:

  • Prepare the mackerel before smoking: cut off the head and tail, gut it. Rub the fish inside with salt, then put it in the refrigerator for 20 hours.
  • Sawdust (fruit or alder) put on the bottom of the smokehouse with a layer of 1 centimeter.
  • Put apple tree branches on the grid, carcasses of fish on them. Smoke the mackerel for 20 minutes.
    • Is liquid smoke harmful? This question is often asked by those who want to cook a fish at home, without having a real smokehouse. However, which is quite curious, almost the entire smoked fish store has long been prepared using liquid smoke. After all, "smoke" products in this way quickly and cheaply. Of course, liquid smoke is not useful, but soaking a product with real smoke is not entirely useful. So, if you decide to enjoy smoked mackerel, just enjoy a delicious dish, the main thing is not very often.
    • Before you smoke fish in a smokehouse or air grill, you need to thoroughly pat it dry with napkins so that it becomes completely dry.
    • When preparing fish, it is very important to remove the black skin-film inside. It is very thin, but if you do not remove it, then the finished fish will be bitter.
    • Some cooks advise greasing a carcass of a mackerel not only with salt, but also with a small amount of sugar. So the fish will turn out more tender to taste. Take brown sugar for this purpose.
    • When making a fish brine, add some soy sauce to it. Aromatic liquid will give the fish a light pleasant smell. In addition, some spices do not interfere with the brine. Suneli hops, allspice, dried basil, parsley roots would be appropriate.
    • Chefs do not recommend cutting the carcass into pieces before you smoke the fish. If you cook the mackerel in its entirety, then the fish will turn out more juicy.

    We have been honoring the seafood for a long time. It was the ocean mistress who presented the culinary world with many delicious fish dishes. Almost no meal is complete without mackerel. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to purchase a quality product these days. The subject of today's conversation is mackerel in onion husks in 3 minutes.

    Mackerel marinated in onion peel is probably considered the most popular home-made snack. You can cook such fish in just 3 minutes. With the help of onion broth, fish is smoked. Just imagine: a minimum of financial costs and time, and you will get smoked mackerel even without special smoking equipment.

    Experienced housewives have already tried various recipes and know how to cook marinated or smoked mackerel correctly and, most importantly, deliciously. You are probably interested, but one logical question arises: "What is onion peel for?" As you know, it is the onion husk that contains coloring substances that give the mackerel a rich golden, almost amber hue. And if you add smoke, your guests will not be able to distinguish a store product from home-made fish.

    Before we look at the most popular recipes for smoking mackerel, let's discuss a number of culinary nuances:

    • Both smoked and frozen foods are suitable for smoking or boiling.
    • If you choose frozen carcasses of fish, then you need to defrost them exclusively in a natural way. A quick defrost will only worsen the taste of the fish.
    • Defrosting in a microwave oven will cause the fish fillet to move away from the bone, so during heat treatment it will fall apart or crumble.
    • The carcass of the fish must be cleaned of the insides, it is advisable not to rip the belly. The only exception is salting fish in portioned slices.
    • Be sure to separate the head, fins and tail. In what form you will salted or smoked mackerel, depends on the volume of dishes.
    • Enameled dishes for salting fish in onion husks are not suitable. Choose aluminum or glass containers.
    • The classic recipe uses salt and granulated sugar for salting mackerel. If you like savory dishes, add laurel leaves and coriander to taste.
    • Unusual saturated color of mackerel will give black tea.
    • During smoking, the fish will float to the surface of the tank, so use oppression.
    • If you are cooking smoked fish, add liquid smoke to flavor. But you need to know the measure: an excess of such an ingredient can lead to a deterioration in the taste and smell of mackerel.

    Note time: smoked mackerel in 3 minutes

    Indeed, mackerel in onion peel is prepared in 3 minutes. A recipe with a photo will help you make sure of this. Of course, that at this time does not include the preparation of brine and ingredients. You can taste the delicious mackerel right after boiling. Fish both in cold and in hot form will be very tasty and fragrant.

    How to calculate the proportions of onion husks? Experienced housewives advise adding 1 husk from about 5 medium onions per 1 liter of filtered water. Only dry and clean husks are suitable; we will dispose of the damaged husk, as it cannot be used in smoking.

    Structure:

    • 1 carcass of chilled mackerel;
    • salt - 5 tbsp. l .;
    • filtered water - 1000 ml;
    • onion peel - 5-6 jumens.

    Cooking:

    1. In a deep heat-resistant container, lay out dry husk.
    2. First, wash the husk, and then fill it with filtered water. For a few minutes, infuse the mixture.
    3. In the meantime, we’ll cut the carcass of a mackerel.
    4. We thoroughly rinse it under cold running water and dry it with paper towels.
    5. Now carefully separate the tail and head. We take out the insides, wash again, dry and cut into equal, not too thin pieces.
    6. We put onion broth on moderate fire, add the right amount of salt and bring it to a boil.
    7. In a boiling broth, lay out pieces of mackerel and cook over moderate heat for exactly 180 seconds.

    8. After the allotted time, put the mackerel on a dish and serve. Before serving, you can sprinkle it with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

    We smoke fish using improvised means

    Everyone knows that you can cook true smoked mackerel only in the smokehouse. For this, alder, oak sawdust or branches of fruit trees are used, and the procedure takes a lot of time, and not everyone can afford to buy a smokehouse. Culinary specialists invented a completely new, simple and accessible to everyone recipe for mackerel in onion husk with the addition of liquid smoke.

    Structure:

    • 2 pcs. carcasses of fish;
    • 1 ½ tbsp. l granulated sugar;
    • salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
    • 1000 ml of filtered water;
    • 2 handfuls of onion husks;
    • brewed black tea - 150 ml;
    • 1 tbsp. l liquid smoke;
    • to taste coriander, peppercorns, bay leaf.

    Cooking:

    1. Defrost the fish, cut along the abdomen and clean. Be sure to separate the head, tail and do not forget to scrape off the black film inside, otherwise it will give the mackerel excessive bitterness.
    2. We rinse and dry the carcass of the fish.
    3. Put the husk in a colander and rinse thoroughly with water.
    4. In the meantime, pour 1 liter of filtered water into a heat-resistant container, put on a stove and bring to a boil.
    5. Then add the husk, boil the marinade for 5 minutes, and then filter and cool.
    6. We brew strong black tea in a separate bowl.
    7. Sugar and salt are added to the onion broth.
    8. Bring it to a boil again.
    9. Then add the remaining spices, liquid smoke and black tea.
    10. Cool and pour the mixture into a deep container. We spread the carcasses of mackerel in the marinade.
    11. We set the oppression on top and send the mackerel to the refrigerator for 72 hours.
    12. After this time, the fish will acquire a golden hue. We take it out of the marinade, rinse.
    13. Dry the fish in an upright position, preferably in a ventilated area, for 2 hours.
    14. Then we rub the back of the mackerel with refined vegetable oil and can be served.

    Mastering the process of smoking mackerel

    In order to periodically pamper yourself with smoked fish, you do not need to purchase expensive equipment. Some housewives got used to it and began to cook mackerel in a heat-resistant barrel with the addition of sawdust. If you decide to smoke fish in this way, then carefully study the recipe. But such cooking methods, as a rule, are time-consuming, so modern housewives seek quick and simple recipes for smoking mackerel.

    Structure:

    • 1000 ml of filtered water;
    • mackerel - 1-2 pcs.;
    • 2 tbsp. l black leaf tea;
    • 2 tbsp. l salts;
    • onion husk - a few handfuls;
    • 1 tbsp. l granulated sugar.

    Cooking:

    1. Pour filtered water into a deep container and add all components except onion peels.
    2. First we wash the onion husks, and then also put them in a container.
    3. Bring the mixture to a boil and set aside.
    4. As it cools, the marinade will be saturated in amber.
    5. We prepare the carcass of a mackerel as described in previous recipes.
    6. Put the fish in a wide container and fill it with marinade.
    7. In the refrigerator, under the yoke, we smoke fish for 48 hours.
    8. Before serving, dry the fish and grease with oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

    Mackerel is a very useful fish, it improves brain function, normalizes metabolism and positively affects the cardiovascular system.

    Smoked mackerel at home - the basic principles of cooking

    The smoking process is smoke treatment. There are two ways: cold and hot  smoking. In the first case, the fish is treated with cold smoke, so it is pre-salted. In the second case, mackerel is treated with hot smoke, that is, it is subjected to heat treatment. This method is considered the most correct and safe, since in the process of smoking, all bacteria die.

    Smoked mackerel at home can be prepared in other ways: in onion husks, with black tea or liquid smoke. It will not be quite smoked, but no less tasty.

    Smoked fish buy fresh or chilled. When buying, pay attention to the appearance of mackerel. The eyes of the fish should be transparent, and the carcass should not have any yellow or brown spots. And, of course, there should not be any odor. If you buy frozen mackerel, it is better to opt for dry-frozen fish.

    Before smoking, fish must be gutted and washed. If it is provided for in the recipe, marinate, and only then begin to smoke.

    Consider all the known recipes for making smoked mackerel at home.

    Recipe 1. Hot smoked mackerel at home

    Ingredients

    mackerel;

    spices for fish;

    salt;

    a mixture of peppers;

    onion;

    bay leaf;

    Cooking method

    1. Gut the fish, remove the gills and wash the mackerel under the tap. Peel the onions, rinse and cut into slices. Sort out dill, wash and dry.

    2. Put the mackerel in a deep oval shape with the backs down. In each abdomen, put onions, dill, a mixture of peppers, bay leaf and salt.

    3. Dilute 100 g of salt in a liter of water and fill the fish with this brine. Leave the fish in brine for six hours, then drain the water, put the fish on a towel and pat dry. Pin the abdomen with toothpicks, or drag the carcasses with thread.

    4. In the smokehouse, lay dry alder branches, a leaf, and install a grate on top. Put the fish on the grill with the belly up. Smoke the fish for about an hour. Then carefully remove the fish from the grill, free the abdomen from herbs and spices and cool.

    Recipe 2. Cold smoked mackerel at home

    Ingredients

    six carcasses of mackerel;

    70 ml of liquid smoke;

    50 g of sugar;

    two handfuls of onion husks;

    litere of water;

    Cooking method

    1. Gut the mackerel, remove the gills and rinse under the tap. Put on a towel-covered board and pat dry.

    2. Peel the onion, rinse it, put it in a saucepan and pour cold water. Add sugar and salt to this. Put on the fire and cook the husk mixture for 25 minutes.

    3. Cool the resulting broth and strain. Mix it with liquid smoke.

    4. Place the prepared mackerel in a brine, press down on top with a load and hold in this form for two days.

    5. After this time, remove the fish, rinse under the tap and dry. Before serving, cut the mackerel in portions.

    Recipe 3. Smoked mackerel at home in onion husk

    Ingredients

    two carcasses of mackerel;

    75 g of sugar;

    litere of water;

    an incomplete glass of strongly brewed tea;

    three handfuls of onion husks;

    a pinch of coriander in grains and peas of black pepper;

    30 g of sugar;

    two bay leaves.

    Cooking method

    1. At the mackerel we separate the head, cut the abdomen and clean out the giblets. Be sure to remove the black film from the walls of the abdomen, then rinse the carcasses under the tap.

    2. Pour a liter of water into the pan and put it on the stove. Remove the peel from the onion, rinse it well under the tap. We put the prepared husks in boiling water. We twist the fire and cook the onion husks for about five minutes. Then turn off the heat and infuse the broth for ten minutes, and then filter through a sieve.

    3. We make strong tea in 200 ml of boiling water. In the filtered broth, add salt and sugar, coriander, tea leaves, bay leaves, pepper and put again on the stove. Close the container with a lid and boil the resulting solution. Then turn off the heat and cool the solution.

    4. The resulting broth is poured into a deep, flat shape and spread the prepared mackerel. Press lightly on top of the plate. We remove the fish in a cool place for three days. It is necessary to turn over from time to time.

    5. After this time, we get the fish out of the marinade and dip them in a paper towel. We hang the fish by the tail on the balcony or in the cellar and leave it to weather for a couple of hours. Then grease the mackerel with sunflower oil, cut into portions and serve.

    Recipe 4. European smoked mackerel at home

    Ingredients

    three carcasses of mackerel;

    litere of water;

    60 g of sugar;

    140 ml of liquid smoke;

    100 g of smoked salt;

    60 g of saffron;

    a pinch of seasoning curry.

    Cooking method

    1. Gut the mackerel, remove the heads and clean the inside of the abdomen from the black film. Wash the fish under the tap, lay on a towel and pat dry.

    2. Boil a liter of water in a saucepan. Saffron pour boiling water, when the grass is infused, pour the resulting tincture into a pan. Add salt, curry and sugar to the slightly cooled broth.

    3. For a two liter plastic bottle, cut off the neck. Dip the fish into the bottle so that the tails are at the top. Cooled mackerel with a cooled marinade. Pour in liquid smoke.

    4. Leave the fish for four days, daily turning it over its tails so that the coloring is uniform. After this time, remove the fish and hang it by its tails to dry.

    Recipe 5. Smoked mackerel at home on an air grill

    Ingredients

    two carcasses of mackerel;

    5 g of turmeric;

    liquid smoke;

    vegetable oil;

    salt and olive herbs.

    Cooking method

    1. Mackerel must be cleaned from the insides and separate the head from the carcass. Clean the abdomen from the inside of the black film, rinse under the tap and dry slightly.

    2. Mix 50 g of salt with herbs and turmeric, add two caps of liquid smoke and mix. Coat the fish carcasses with the mixture. Put the mackerel in a bag, tightly close and bandage. Remove the fish for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Remove the mackerel from the bag and grease it with vegetable oil.

    3. Pour water into deep dishes, add shavings of alder or apple with liquid smoke. Stir, put on the bottom of the air grill and sprinkle with stimulus. Turn on the air grill and heat the chips.

    4. Put the mackerel on the middle grill, set the temperature of the air grill at 80 degrees and smoke it for 30 minutes. Turn the mackerel every ten minutes and oil it. At the end of smoking, wrap the fish in foil, cool and put in the refrigerator. Cut the fish only after it has completely cooled, otherwise it may fall apart.

    Recipe 6. Smoked mackerel at home "Golden"

    Ingredients

    three carcasses of mackerel;

    water - liter;

    100 g of salt;

    80 g of scara;

    dry tea leaves - four tbsp. l .;

    four handfuls of onion husks;

    allspice and black pepper - six peas each;

    bay leaf - three pcs.

    Cooking method

    1. Gut the carcasses of mackerel, remove the heads and tails. Clean the black film from the inside of the abdomen and wash the fish under the tap. Put the mackerel on a towel and pat dry.

    2. Put onion husks in a pan, pour sugar, salt and dry brewing black tea. Pour everything with a liter of water and put on fire, boil. Add peas and bay leaves to the marinade, simmer for a quarter of an hour over low heat, cool and strain.

    3. Cut the carcasses of mackerel into three parts, put in a deep container and fill in with slightly cooled brine. Cover and marinate for two days at room temperature. Turn the fish over twice a day. Then put the fish in the refrigerator for a couple more days. Remove the fish from the brine, soak in a napkin and transfer to another bowl. Keep refrigerated.

    Recipe 7. Smoked mackerel at home in a pan

    Ingredients

    two large carcasses of mackerel;

    water - liter;

    75 g of table salt;

    30 g of sugar;

    allspice peas - 10 pcs.;

    bay leaf - 3 pcs.;

    black loose tea - two tbsp. l .;

    rice - 150 g.

    Cooking method

    1. Pour rice with water so that it slightly covers it, and leave it overnight, during which time all the liquid is absorbed into the rice. Add a tablespoon of tea to the rice. We lay out this mixture in foil, wrap it up and leave a small hole.

    2. Boil the water and add pepper, salt, bay leaf and sugar to it. We boil the brine for a minute and turn off the heat.

    3. Cut the abdomen of mackerel, scrub the offal and rinse well under the tap. We immerse the prepared fish in the marinade, set the load on top and put it in the refrigerator for a day.

    4. We take the mackerel out of the marinade and dip it with a napkin. We take the pan, cover the bottom with foil folded in several layers, spread the rice with tea in the foil, with the hole up. We put the pan on fire and heat it until a light smoke appears.

    5. In the pan, place the wire rack on which we spread the mackerel. Cover and smoke fish for 20 minutes on each side. Cool the finished fish, cut into portions and serve.

    Recipe 8. Smoked Mackerel Sliced \u200b\u200bat Home

    Ingredients

    two medium carcasses of mackerel;

    80 g of coarse salt;

    40 g of sugar;

    liquid smoke or smoked salt - 1 tsp;

    bulb;

    olive oil;

    a few peas of allspice;

    a small pinch of coriander seeds;

    bay leaf.

    Cooking method

    1. On the abdomen of a mackerel, make an incision and take out the insides, separate the head from the carcass. Then we make a longitudinal section along the ridge and carefully remove the bones and the ridge. You should get two pieces of filet.

    2. The processed fish is placed in a deep plate. In a separate bowl, mix all the loose ingredients with pepper and bay leaf. Sprinkle the mackerel fillet with the mixture. Cover with cling film and send to the refrigerator for eight hours.

    3. After this time, remove the fillet, clean from salt and spices and rinse under the tap. We take out the remaining bones, remove the skin and cut the fish into pieces. Place the mackerel in a deep bowl. Chopped peeled onions finely and sprinkle them with fish, sprinkle abundantly with olive oil and serve. Mackerel can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container for three days.

    Recipe 9. Smoked mackerel at home on the grill

    Ingredients

    four carcasses of mackerel;

    according to Art. l lemon juice and mustard;

    2 tbsp. l ground black pepper;

    0.5 cups of sugar and salt.

    Cooking method

    1. Soak the sliver for a day. At the mackerel we cut the abdomen and free it from the insides, remove the tails and heads, make an incision along the ridge and remove the ridge and bones. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and salt and rub the cleaned carcasses on all sides with this mixture. We send it to the refrigerator for half an hour.

    2. In a plate, mix black pepper, lemon juice and mustard. Rub the resulting mixture into the fillet and leave for another half hour.

    3. At the grill, remove the legs and kindle a light fire. We collect the burned-out coals in a heap. Install the grill on top. Drain the liquid from the fish, blot it with a napkin and put it on aluminum foil, in which we make several holes beforehand.

    4. Place a sheet of foil with fish on a wire rack. After a quarter of an hour, we check the condition of the fish, the crust should be shiny, and the mackerel itself is dense, opaque and not dry inside. Turn over so that the fish smoked evenly.

    • For smoking, you should use the wood of certain species of wood to make the mackerel fragrant and tasty. Suitable for this are alder, poplar, mountain ash, or wood fruit trees. Do not use raw or rotten chips.
    • Mackerel is best smoked without entrails and head.
    • If you smoke fish in an automatic smokehouse, then the fish should spend at least a day in it, and two large carcasses.
    • For smoked mackerel to be stored longer, it must first be well dried.
    • Before smoking, put a bunch of greens in the abdomen, this will make the fish even more flavorful.
    • Before smoking, it is necessary to dry the fish with napkins so that it is completely dry.

    The savory taste of smoked fish is liked by many people. The product can be purchased at the store, but it is better to do it yourself. If you cook smoked mackerel at home with your own hands, the delicacy will turn out to be unique and will boast a unique aroma. The absence of a private courtyard or cottage is not a hindrance. It is not necessary to use a special smokehouse hot or cold. There are methods that are suitable for an apartment, and hot smoked mackerel at home will be no worse than the purchased one.

    Buying quality mackerel is easy, and many people know how to choose fresh fish. Those who have not had to deal with this before can be given several recommendations. To get a good product, you need to pay attention to the smell. It should not be bright and have an unpleasant smell. It is also important to look at the look. Fresh mackerel has a smooth surface without greenish spots. It is elastic, resilient and not loose. Also, fish eyes can tell about quality. If they are cloudy, glass and sunken, then the goods have lain for a long time.

    Having acquired mackerel, it will be necessary to prepare it for hot or cold smoking. It is quite simple, and the process will not take much time. Rinse the carcass thoroughly. Then you can leave it in its entirety or cut off your head and gut the insides. Now she will be completely ready for smoking.

    How to Smoke Mackerel with Liquid Smoke

    Liquid smoke is a flavoring that gives the product a smoky flavor and color. With it you can cook a fish in the apartment. The standard recipe is quite simple, so even beginner cooks can cope with it without difficulty.

    Ingredients:

    • fish - 5 pcs.;
    • salt - 4 tbsp. spoons;
    • liquid smoke - 80 ml;
    • sugar - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
    • water - liter.

    Read also:

    Recipe for Pea Soup with Pork Knuckle

    Smoked mackerel at home with liquid smoke is done as follows. First you need to prepare the brine. Pour water into a deep pan and boil, then add sugar, salt to it and turn off the burner. Now you need to pour liquid smoke and mix everything well.

    After the brine has cooled, you need to lower the mackerel into it. In liquid smoke, it should remain for about 3 days. Put a press on top, and then place the container in the refrigerator.

    After three days, the fish smoked with liquid smoke will only be washed, and it will be possible to serve. If everything is done correctly, the taste will be excellent and will pleasantly surprise both guests and loved ones.

    Mackerel Recipe in Onion Peel and Tea

    People who want to cook fish with only natural ingredients can use onion husks. It, along with brewed strong tea, will give the necessary shade and taste. In order for the recipe with onion husks to work out as it should, you must clearly follow the instructions.

    Ingredients:

    • mackerel - 2 pieces;
    • water - liter;
    • onion peel - about two handfuls;
    • salt - 4 tbsp. spoons;
    • black tea - 2 tsp;
    • laurel leaf - 3 pieces;
    • allspice - 5-10 peas;
    • crushed coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon;
    • sugar - 1 tbsp. a spoon.

    Pour water into a saucepan and mix it with onion peel. The recipe requires that the liquid is brought to a boil, and then cooked for 15 minutes. Now the broth should be turned off, allow the onion peel to cool and strain. In clean water you need to put tea, boil and turn off. It must be insisted 15-20 minutes, after which it is also filtered.


    A decoction with onion peel and tea liquid should be mixed by adding spices, salt, sugar and laurel leaves. Mix everything thoroughly, and pour the resulting brine into the fish. You will need to place a press on top, and then send the mackerel in onion husks and tea for three days in the refrigerator. It is recommended that you turn the fish from side to side once a day so that it stains equally from all sides. A decoction with onion peel and tea will give it the necessary color and taste.

    Read also:

    Salads recipes with crisps, crackers and smoked chicken

    Smoked Mackerel

    Hot smoking of mackerel at home can be done with ordinary black tea. The recipe must be carried out strictly according to the instructions in order to achieve the necessary taste.

    Ingredients:

    • mackerel - 2 pcs.;
    • water - 1 l;
    • sugar - 2-3 tbsp. spoons;
    • salt - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
    • black pepper - 10 peas;
    • coriander seeds - 1 tbsp. a spoon;
    • black tea - 2 tbsp. spoons;
    • rice - 150 g.

    First you need to boil the water, adding sugar, salt, pepper, coriander and 1 tablespoon of tea to it. After 20 minutes, the brine must be turned off and allowed to cool. They will need to fill the fish and let it brew for about a day. After that, you will need to hang it by its tails so that the remaining brine drains.

    About a day before cooking, you need to take rice, fill it with water and let the liquid soak. Already swollen grains should be mixed with black tea (take 1 tablespoon). The resulting mixture should be wrapped in foil, leaving a small hole for smoke. After this, foil with tea should be laid out at the bottom of a metal container, for example, a pot. Next, you need to light a fire and wait until the mixture starts to smoke, as this is necessary for the hot method.


    Now you need to place the grill inside, on which to put the mackerel. Cover the top so that no holes remain. Fire should be reduced to medium. The fish should first be smoked for half an hour on one side, and then turned on the other and cook for another 30 minutes. After that, the recipe with tea and rice will be completed. If necessary, time can be slightly increased, but keeping fish in a homemade smoke-cured smokehouse for too long is not recommended.

    What could be tastier than smoked fish? Despite the fact that most do not have their own smokehouse, it is not so difficult to get an excellent smoked delicacy at home. It is enough to replace the regular smokehouse with a special product called “liquid smoke”. Smoked mackerel with liquid smoke is also very popular in view of its economy, which cannot but affect the budget.

    However, you still should not be deceived - treatment with "liquid smoke" is not real smoking, but only its imitation. But with the proper approach, the result of such "smoking" is very good.

    Not the last place, of course, is the choice of fish. When choosing mackerel on the shelves of stores, you should, first of all, pay attention to the smell - it should show itself, but not be too strong. The fish smell is peculiar in itself, but it is noticeably different in fresh fish and in the one that started or is about to begin to deteriorate. To the touch, the fish should also be resilient and elastic, have a uniform color and smooth surface.

    How to use "liquid smoke"?

    “Liquid smoke” is a special flavor that mimics the present. It represents the products of decay of certain tree species dissolved in water or oil - those that are usually used for smoking. The industrial technology for making “liquid smoke” is rather complicated, but it can be easily prepared on its own. There is more confidence in the home process - many are convinced that the store flavor is “solid chemistry”.

    Whether it is so or not, and how to make “liquid smoke” at home is the topic of another article. It is known, however, that its use in cooking has become so widespread that in recent years practically no smoking has been complete without it at home. Often “liquid smoke” is added even to.

    Here are some recipes in your piggy bank.

    Recipe number 1 Mackerel smoked in liquid smoke

    To cook mackerel smoked in "liquid smoke", you will need the following:

    • 4 small mackerels;
    • 1.5 tablespoons of sugar;
    • 2 tablespoons of tea leaves (black tea);
    • 3 handfuls of onion husks;
    • 1.3 liters of water;
    • 3 tablespoons of salt;
    • 3 tablespoons of liquid smoke.

    Cooking method:

    Thoroughly rinse the onion peel under water, pour it with water and put on the stove, wait until the water boils, and then simmer for half an hour.

    Strain the brine through a sieve, discard the remains of the husk, and add sugar, salt and liquid smoke to the liquid, then mix thoroughly and leave to infuse.

    Remove the head, tail and entrails from the fish, rinse and put into the solution. Leave the fish in the onion marinade for 2-2.5 days. After a couple of days, remove the fish from the marinade, dry and serve, garnishing with onion rings and a slice of lemon. Smoked mackerel at home with liquid smoke and tea is ready! Bon Appetit!

    Recipe number 2 Mackerel smoked in onion husk

    If desired, onion peel can be used, so do not rush to throw it away ahead of time. This recipe will focus on how to smoke mackerel at home if there is no smokehouse. In fact, this is not a big deal.

    In order to bring this dish to life, you will need the following ingredients:

    • mackerel - 3 carcasses;
    • 100 grams of sugar;
    • 1.5 liters of cold water;
    • one cup of dry brewing black tea;
    • 4 handfuls of onion husks;
    • 1 pinch of coriander;
    • black pepper - a few peas;
    • 3 bay leaves.

    Cooking method:

    You need to start the cooking process with the preparation of mackerel. At the carcasses, separate the head and tail, make longitudinal cuts on the abdomen and remove all the insides. You also need to pay special attention to the thin, dark film that covers the abdomen on the inside. After all unnecessary has been removed, rinse the mackerel well under cold water.

    Now it's up to the pickle, or, so to speak, the marinade. Pour cold water into a pan and put on a strong fire, let the water boil. While the water is boiling, rinse the onion husks under running water, and then throw it into boiling water, reduce the heat (but so that the water continues to boil). It takes about 8-10 minutes to cook onion peel, since during this time it will have time to give its color and flavor. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and strain the onion peel through a colander or sieve.

    Diluted black tea prepared in advance with another glass of boiling water and add salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaf to the resulting solution and mix thoroughly. Put this mixture on the stove and let it boil. After the solution boils on the stove for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let the solution cool. This will be the so-called “marinade”.

    Mix the cooled tea marinade with onion broth, then pour into a wider container and put the mackerel there. Choose the dishes so that the tea solution completely covers the mackerel. Spread the mackerel on the bottom, and on top of it you will need to press down with a heavy plate and put in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

    About one to two times a day, the mackerel will need to be turned over. After 3 days, remove the mackerel from the brine, dip in a paper towel and hang it to air for 3-4 hours. After three hours, the fish can be cut into pieces and served.

    Recipe number 3 Mackerel smoked with tea and rice

    Below is a recipe that will easily replace traditional multi-day smoking, and the result, at the same time, will be beyond praise.

    So, for the preparation of mackerel, you will need the following components:

    • medium sized mackerel - 2 pieces;
    • 1 liter of boiled water;
    • 3 tbsp Sahara;
    • 1.5 tbsp coarse salt;
    • black pepper - 12-15 peas;
    • coriander - 1 tablespoon;
    • black leaf tea - 2 tablespoons;
    • round grain rice - 200 grams.

    Cooking method:

    Put the cooled boiled water on the fire again and wait until it boils. Add spices to boiling water: coriander, salt, peas and half the prepared sugar, reduce heat and boil for 25 minutes. After the specified time, remove the water from the heat and let it cool.

    While the brine cools, clean the fish from the insides, cut off the tail and head and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Pour 2 carcasses of fish with cooled brine and put it in the refrigerator to insist. Fish should be in brine for at least 24 hours. After that, pull the fish out of the brine, allow the liquid to drain.

    At this time, rinse the rice also under cold water, pour two glasses of water and wait until the rice absorbs the right amount of moisture. Mix the swollen rice grains with two tablespoons of black tea and lay the resulting mixture in foil. On one side of the foil wrapper, make a small hole, which will be needed to exit the smoke. Then take a metal pan or other metal container with a thick bottom, put a foil with rice - tea mixture on the bottom and put the pan on fire. Wait until the resulting mixture begins to smoke, and then put a low lattice, and on top of the grill - mackerel, reduce the fire at this time to a minimum. Smoke mackerel in total, for an hour, alternately turning it on the opposite side. If the carcasses of the fish are large, the smoking time can be slightly increased, but the main thing here is not to overdo it, otherwise the fish will turn out to be overdried and too “odorous”.

    Serve the mackerel chopped! Bon Appetit!