Homemade Lightly Salted Mackerel
A super quick and incredibly simple recipe for salting fish! Usually mackerel is salted for two days. In this recipe, because the fish is cut into pieces, the salting time is much shorter - it can be eaten after just 8 hours. The fish turns out very tasty and aromatic.
Updated : 13 April, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
2
Mackerel
500 milliliters
Water
2 tablespoon
Salt
1 teaspoon
Sugar
10
Peppercorns
3
Laurel leaf
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients. For lightly salted fish, I use a minimum of spices - only pepper and bay leaf, but you can also add coriander, cloves, and allspice. Thaw the fish in advance. Do not place the fish in warm water, as many people do. It is also not a good idea to thaw it in the microwave. The gentlest method of thawing is in the refrigerator. The mackerel will thaw slowly and delicately.
Step 2
Gut the fish by cutting the belly from the head to the last fin. Carefully remove the insides. Cut off the head and tail. I recommend preparing the fish while it is still slightly frozen - it will be easier to slice that way.
Step 3
Cut the fish into small pieces about 2 cm thick, about 3/4 inch. Place the pieces of mackerel into a jar or container. Keep in mind that plastic absorbs odors, so it is better to use a glass container.
Step 4
Bring the water for the brine to a boil. Add the salt, sugar, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Stir the brine with a spoon. In hot water, the salt and sugar will dissolve very quickly. Cool the brine completely.
Step 5
Pour the cooled brine over the fish and cover it with a lid. Place the container in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Since not all of my fish was fully submerged in the brine, I turned the pieces after 4 hours so they would salt evenly. After the required time, the fish is ready to eat. Store the remaining fish in the brine.
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