Pickled Mackerel, Herrings, or Sprats
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish
Split the mackerel and remove the heads and thin belly parts.
Soak the fish in salt and water for 1 hour, then drain and wipe them dry.
Pack and pickle
In a bowl, mix the coarse sea salt, bay salt, saltpetre, and lump sugar.
Layer the bottom of jars or casks with the salt mixture, then add a layer of mackerel skin-side down.
Continue layering the salt mixture and mackerel until the jar or cask is full.
Press down the layers and cover tightly.
Let the fish pickle for about 3 months before using.
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
- The fish is the main ingredient being cured and preserved.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the fish and helps preserve it.
- Bay salt
- Adds salting power to draw out moisture and firm the flesh during curing.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the fish and keeps its colour during long curing.
- Lump sugar
- Balances the harshness of the salt and adds a mild sweetness.
The step that matters
Packing the layers tightly. Salt must fully cover every layer and the fish must be pressed down and sealed, because air exposure and gaps let spoilage microbes grow and cause uneven curing.
“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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