Pickled Mackerel, Herrings, or Sprats
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fish
Split the fish, remove the heads, and trim the thin part of the belly.
Soak the fish in a mixture of salt and water for 1 hour.
Drain and wipe the fish dry.
Make the cure
In a bowl, combine the coarse sea salt, bay salt, saltpetre, and lump sugar; grind and mix well.
Pack and pickle
Layer the bottom of jars or casks with the salt mixture, then add a layer of fish skin-side down.
Continue layering fish and salt mixture until the jars or casks are 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
- Provides the fish that is preserved and becomes firm and salt-cured through the pickling.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture from the fish and firms its flesh, helping to preserve it.
- Bay salt
- Adds further salt to draw moisture from the fish and slow spoilage during pickling.
- Saltpetre
- Helps preserve the fish and gives it a characteristic pinkish colour during curing.
- Lump sugar
- Balances the harshness of the salt and adds a mild sweetness to the cured fish.
The step that matters
Packing the layers and covering tightly. Salt must fully coat every piece and the layers must be pressed down and sealed so no air pockets form. Gaps let brine and air in, which can allow spoilage during the long pickling period.
“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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