Salt Mackerel, Fried
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean and wash the mackerels several times in cold water.
Place them in a deep dish, cover with cold water, and let soak overnight, changing the water once.
20 minutes before serving, remove the mackerels, rinse in fresh cold water, and dry with a towel.
Cut off the heads and tails, then cut each fish in half and roll in flour.
Fry and serve
Heat the lard or drippings in a frying pan over medium heat.
Once hot, add the mackerels and fry until light brown on both sides.
Serve on a hot dish with boiled potatoes and onion sauce.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Salt mackerels
- Provide the main fish, whose salt-curing is softened by soaking before frying.
- Lard or clarified drippings
- Conducts heat for frying and adds fat that helps the fish brown.
- Flour
- Forms a light coating that helps the fish brown and crisp during frying.
The step that matters
Frying until light brown on both sides. Medium heat must be hot before the fish goes in. Flour-coated fish in properly heated fat browns and crisps quickly, while cooler fat lets the coating absorb oil and turn greasy.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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