Salt Mackerel Fried
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mackerel
Clean and wash the salt 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 coat in flour.
Fry and serve
Heat the lard or clarified 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
- Soaking removes excess salt, so the fish becomes mild enough to eat.
- Flour
- A light flour coating helps the surface brown evenly and crisp while frying.
- Lard or clarified drippings
- Hot fat conducts heat to the fish, browning the surface and adding rich flavor.
The step that matters
Soaking the salt mackerel overnight. Salt draws moisture out of fish and concentrates its saltiness. Soaking in changed cold water lets salt diffuse out, so under-soaking leaves the fish too salty and over-soaking can leave it bland and soft.
“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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