In terms of popularity in Russia, salted mackerel is perhaps second only to herring. And this is not surprising; mackerel (the Western name for mackerel) combines excellent taste, healthfulness and an affordable price. Unfortunately, in pursuit of easy money, some unscrupulous producers deviate from GOST; when salting fish, at best they abuse vegetable oil and sugar, and at worst, they use low-quality fish and dubious additives.
Therefore, more and more people prefer to salt fish themselves. So they themselves are responsible for the quality of products and manufacturing technology. The recipe for mackerel in mustard sauce is a vivid example of how you can treat yourself to a wonderful dish without any hassle or special expenses.
Calorie content and benefits of mackerel
With significant fat content (13 grams per hundred grams, it has a low calorie content. Depending on the amount of oil and sugar in the marinade, its calorie content ranges from 160-220 kilocalories per 100 g. In addition, mackerel is a source of vitamins (A, C, E, group B), fatty acids, and most importantly - excellent fish oil, which is useful for adults and especially children during the growth period. Fish oil in pharmacies is not very tasty, children have an extremely negative attitude towards it, so the recipe for mackerel in mustard sauce becomes not just a guide for preparing a delicious snack, but also a way to fill the child’s need for fish oil without scandals and persuasion.
Fish selection
What are the best semi-finished products to buy? Before you implement the recipe for salting mackerel in mustard sauce, you need to choose the right fish. A few simple rules will help you avoid the tricks of sellers and the disappointment of spoiled fish:
- You need to sniff. This advice seems obvious, but many people neglect it, and the unpleasant odor is difficult to hide even in frozen fish.
- Study the eyes. Quality fish have eyes that are moist, protruding and have a natural appearance. Dry eyes are a signal of multiple freezing/defrosting cycles.
- Check the condition of the carcass. The body and skin of the mackerel should not have obvious defects; stains, especially yellow ones, are often passed off by sellers as fat; breakthroughs, which indicate friability and staleness of the fish. The skin of fresh fish shines moistly, is elastic and has no mucus.
- Gills are a reliable indicator of fish quality. Fresh and healthy mackerel are clean, smell normal and are pink or red in color. Sellers often sell carcasses without heads so that the buyer cannot see the condition of the gills.
- If all the steps have been completed, but when implementing the recipe for mackerel in mustard sauce, it suddenly turns out that the fillet comes off the bones too easily, it means that the seller managed to slip in a bad fish. All that remains is to accept failure and throw away the dangerous product, without risking your health in any way.
Mackerel in mustard sauce - recipe with photo
Mackerel can be salted whole or in portioned pieces; the salting process itself does not change. The recipe for mackerel in mustard sauce is simple and includes the following steps:
- Defrosting. If necessary, defrost the fish first. It is advisable to do this gently, that is, put the carcass in a dish and leave it in the refrigerator so that it gradually thaws. But in cases where time is short, mackerel can be placed in cold, clean water. It will be ready for pickling in a couple of hours.
- Preparing the fish. Gut the carcass, remove entrails and skin. Whether to cut off the head or not is again an individual choice. Some gourmets consider fish head a delicious delicacy.
The process itself looks like this:
- Marinade. For one kilogram of fish, boil 1 liter of water, add 2 tablespoons of dry mustard, 1 flat spoon of salt, sugar to taste and a set of favorite spices. This could be coriander, bay leaf, a mixture of peppers, and cloves.
- Salting. Place the mackerel in a salting container (glass container, pan, jar), pour the cooled marinade over the fish and place in a cool place for a day, shaking from time to time so that the mustard is evenly distributed throughout the carcass.
Storing salted mackerel in mustard sauce
The recipe includes not only the cooking process itself, but also techniques that allow you to store the resulting product longer. Fish can be stored for five days in the brine in which it was salted. Moreover, the more salt in the marinade, the longer the mackerel is stored. To increase shelf life, the fish is completely filled with sunflower or olive oil.
If you like riddles, then answer me, what dish is prepared in 2 days, and not on the stove we are used to, and not in the oven, but in the refrigerator?
And the correct answer is mackerel in mustard sauce, once cooked, you will eat every last bite, and then you will remember it for a long time. Why beat around the bush, let’s quickly begin the cooking process.
Mustard is generally a good condiment. It’s a pleasure to taste not only jellied meat, but also to fry chicken and marinate chops. To marinate fish, we buy regular table mustard or, in worst case scenario, prepare it at home from powder.
Mackerel in mustard sauce
Ingredients
- Chilled fish – 2 pcs.
- Onion – 2 pcs.
- Table mustard – 2 tbsp.
- Salt – 3 tbsp.
- Garlic – 3 cloves.
- Sugar – 1 tbsp.
- Lavrushka.
- Allspice peas.
- Vinegar – 0.5 tsp.
- Sunflower oil – 2 tbsp.
How to cook mackerel in mustard sauce
- We wash the sea creature in cool water, get rid of the head and entrails. Cut into small portions.
- Peel the onion, cut it in half and rinse under running cold water. We do this so that we don’t cry when cutting. Slice thinly into half rings.
- Place the mackerel in a deep container in which we will marinate and cover the top with onions.
- Peel the garlic, crush it, add it to the marinade.
- In a separate container, mix mustard, salt, sugar, pepper, oil, vinegar.
- Pour the prepared marinade over the fish, add the bay leaves, mix, close, and put in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Stir the mackerel periodically by shaking.
You can serve it the very next day, and naturally, what Russian doesn’t like fish with boiled potatoes, and even butter. And for those who like it spicy, we advise you to keep the fish in captivity for another day.
According to your taste, you can replace the oil with aromatic one, and replace the peppercorns with ground pepper.
And don’t lose sight of the recipe for mackerel in mustard sauce and baked in the oven.
Well, it would seem like an ordinary fish, what can we take from it, but we are wrong. With the help of mustard, we will “squeeze” all the juices out of it.
Ingredients
- Mackerel – 2 pcs.
- Soy sauce – 3 tbsp. l.
- Ready mustard – 2 tbsp. l.
- Mayonnaise – 2 tbsp. l.
- Onion – 1 pc.
- Greenery - for decoration.
Cooking mackerel in the oven with mustard sauce
- We prepare the fish carcass by thoroughly washing it and freeing it from the entrails. We cut off the head and cut the fish into medium-sized pieces.
- Cut the onion into half rings.
- Separately mix mustard, mayonnaise, sauce.
- Pour mustard sauce over the fish, mix with onions and leave to rest for half an hour.
- Place the mackerel in a deep pan along with the onion and sauce.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, setting the temperature to 170°C.
What about greens? - you ask. We haven’t forgotten about it, it’s needed to decorate the dish. Well, how can you ignore such a culinary miracle? Try to cook it and you will see how the fish “melts before your eyes.”
You can serve this queen of the seas with any side dish you like. Or try something new, like steamed vegetables. Potatoes, broccoli, green beans. For completion and best taste, serve with a glass of white wine. A couple more candles and the festive dinner is ready.
Bon appetit!
Step-by-step recipe for mackerel in mustard marinade with photo.
- National cuisine: home kitchen
- Type of dish: Snacks
- Recipe difficulty: Simple recipe
- Preparation time: 14 minutes
- Cooking time: up to 30 minutes
- Number of servings: 5 servings
- Calorie Amount: 161 kilocalories
A simple homemade recipe for mackerel in mustard marinade with photos and step-by-step description of preparation. Easy to prepare at home in under 30 minutes. Contains only 161 kilocalories.
Ingredients for 5 servings
- Mackerel fish 2 pcs.
- Water 0.5 l.
- Table salt 2 tbsp. spoon
- Sugar 2 tbsp. spoon
- Mustard powder 2 tbsp. spoon
- Allspice 10 g.
- Bay leaf 2 pcs.
- Sunflower oil 50 ml.
- Vinegar 9% 3 tbsp. spoon
Step by step
- Mackerel is one of the most delicious and healthy fish. There are a huge number of recipes for its preparation. Just recently I learned another recipe for marinating this fish. It turned out much tastier than what is sold. You can marinate mackerel in a very short time. I offer you a recipe using dry mustard, which makes the taste of mackerel very piquant and interesting. To implement this recipe, we need two mackerel fish, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, sugar, vinegar, dry mustard, water, dill, sunflower oil. First you need to cook the fish - it needs to be slightly defrosted, but not completely. Next we need to clean it, cut off the head, fins, tail, clean the abdomen and rinse very thoroughly and well under running water.
- Next you need to cut into portions 2.5 centimeters thick. Place the mackerel in a container that can be closed.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped dill. Of course, the more dill, the tastier.
- Next, prepare the brine for pickling - mix salt and sugar in water. Add peppercorns and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil; when the water starts to boil, add mustard and remove from heat.
- As soon as the marinade has cooled, add sunflower oil and vinegar. Pour lukewarm marinade over mackerel.
- Next, you need to put it in the refrigerator and forget about it for ten hours. Bon appetit!
Mackerel marinated with mustard is a dish rarely found in its finished form. Fish prepared in this way has a pleasant aroma and delicate taste. The basis of its uniqueness is the marinade made from mustard powder with the addition of spices. Any fish is prepared in a similar way, but to get a good result, select the freshest one.
In each recipe, unless otherwise specified, spoon refers to a tablespoon.
The finished dish is an appetizer served with alcohol along with green onions. Before serving, add oil and lemon juice.
- One fish.
- A liter of boiled water.
- Five tablespoons of salt, three of sugar and two of butter.
- Spoon of mustard powder.
- Bay bay and black pepper - according to the instructions.
- Freshly frozen fish is washed and dried with towels. Then the head is cut off, cleaned of entrails, cut and chopped.
- Place other ingredients in a saucepan and mix the contents.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 2-4 minutes, then cool.
- The chopped mackerel is placed in a marinating container and poured with marinade. The container is closed, compacted with a press and placed in a cold room for 48 hours.
- After the period has passed, the marinade is drained, and the mackerel marinated with mustard is placed in the refrigerator for storage.
Mackerel in mustard with vinegar
The dish is an appetizer for alcohol, served with boiled potatoes.
For preparation you will need:
- One fish.
- 2 onions.
- A spoonful of mustard and two tablespoons of butter.
- 2 teaspoons each of salt and 9% vinegar.
- Bay and black pepper - optional.
- Freshly frozen fish is not defrosted, but washed. Then the head is cut off, the entrails are removed and cut into small pieces.
- The onion is peeled and cut into half rings.
- Pieces of fish, separated by onions, are placed in a container.
- Next, other ingredients are sent into the container, the quantity of which depends on the taste preferences of the cook.
- The mixture is thoroughly mixed, then the container is closed and placed in a cold room for 24-48 hours. Every 6-8 hours the contents are stirred or shaken.
- Store the finished dish in the refrigerator, discarding the marinade.
Mackerel meat in mustard
- A kilogram of mackerel meat or a larger whole fish.
- Liter of water.
- Four tablespoons of salt, two of sugar.
- A teaspoon of mustard powder.
- 6 laurel leaves.
- 3 cloves.
- Spoon of butter.
- The washed fish has its entrails and head removed. Then the carcass is cut.
- Chopped fish or minced meat is placed in a container.
- Boil water in a saucepan, then add spices. The finished mixture is cooled.
- The marinade is poured into a container with the meat.
- The container is closed, a press is installed on top, then transferred to a cold room.
- After 48-72 hours, the meat will be ready to serve.
Mackerel marinated with mustard, onion and garlic
The finished dish is an appetizer, served with butter and fresh herbs.
For preparation you will need:
- Two fresh frozen fish.
- Two large onions.
- Two tbsp. l. mustard powder.
- Three tbsp. l. salt.
- A tablespoon of sugar.
- A couple of cloves of garlic.
- Bay, black pepper, oil and vinegar - to taste.
- Defrost the fish, wash them and dry them. The head and entrails are removed from the carcass, then the fish is cleaned of scales.
- Mackerel is cut into thin pieces.
- The meat is placed in a deep container and covered with chopped onions.
- Other ingredients are placed on top, according to the taste preferences of the cook. Instead of two spoons of powder, you can add one so that the finished dish is not spicy.
- The ingredients are mixed, the container is closed with a lid and placed in a refrigerator or room with a temperature below 8 degrees. After 24-48 hours, the meat is served.
Mackerel marinated with mustard is a dish worthy of attention. The meat is tender, and the atmosphere is permeated with the aroma of mustard. In the presented recipes, spices are selected independently, based on taste preferences. The same goes for mustard powder - the more, the spicier the dish. The main thing is to choose fresh fish.
