Salting Mackerel in Pieces in Oil

Here the fish isn't salted until it's done but for exactly one hour — and then the salt is washed off with cold water. This is the main difference from the dry and brine methods: the fish doesn't keep salting in the jar, the salting is stopped at the right point, and after that the pieces simply sit in oil. That is why the mackerel comes out softer than brined mackerel and doesn't get saltier by the day.

Mackerel for salting is taken frozen, not fresh — that's what the recipe says, and that's how it's done with any fish that isn't heated before eating. Commercial freezing here isn't about convenience but about the safety of a raw product.

The skin is pulled off the fillet. It is tough, doesn't soften in salt and feels rubbery on the finished pieces — and it can no longer be removed neatly after salting.

The salt here is dry and comes off after an hour; kept in liquid instead, it makes the temperature of the brine the thing that decides everything, as in spiced herring salted in brine. The same mackerel under oil, once heat is added for two hours, turns into something else again: homemade canned mackerel in oil.

Caloric content: 278kcal

Notes

• The hour is at room temperature. In the refrigerator the salt won't have time to go through the fillet, and the fish would have to be kept twice as long.
• The top layer must be salt. A fillet left uncovered salts unevenly and darkens.
• A small weight on top. A plate with a weight presses the fillet against the salt — without it the pieces lie loosely and the salting comes out patchy.
• After rinsing, the fish is patted dry with paper towels. Water left on the fillet separates the oil in the jar and shortens the keeping time.
• Pack the jar completely full. Empty space at the top is air; the last layer is onion, and the oil is topped up right to the rim.
• Two hours in the refrigerator is the minimum. Any sooner and the oil won't have drawn the salt off the surface, and the first pieces will taste harsh.

Questions and Answers

Why wash the salt off after an hour?

To stop the salting at the right point. After that the pieces sit in oil and don't get saltier by the day — this is what makes the method different from the dry and brine ones.

Why take frozen mackerel rather than fresh?

That is what the recipe says, and that is how it is done with any fish that isn't heated before eating. Commercial freezing here isn't about convenience but about the safety of a raw product.

Why remove the skin from the fillet?

It is tough, doesn't soften in salt and feels rubbery on the finished pieces. After salting it can no longer be taken off neatly.

How long does this mackerel keep?

Several days in the refrigerator. The jar is packed completely full and topped up with oil right to the rim — empty space at the top is air.

Recipe and step-by-step photos — kolizhanka.net.ua.