Soused Mackarel
Ingredients
Directions
Poach the mackerel
Boil mackerel in cold water with a little coarse sea salt and a bunch of herbs until they begin to split at the tail.
Remove the mackerel and boil the cooking liquid with peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and vinegar.
Pickle
Once the fish is cold, pour the boiling liquid over it until fully covered.
Let it sit to allow the flavors to meld.
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
- Mackerel (in the method)
- Oily flesh that flakes when poached and soaks up the pickling liquid.
- Vinegar
- Acidity that sharpens the flavor and helps keep the fish firm.
- Bay leaves
- Aromatic oils that add a subtle herbal fragrance to the liquid.
The step that matters
Fully covering the fish with the pickling liquid. Any part of the fish left above the liquid will not take up the flavors evenly and is more exposed to spoilage. Keeping every piece submerged ensures the fish pickles uniformly.
“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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