How to cut mackerel: cutting methods, step-by-step instructions, useful tips

How to cut and simply separate fillets from mackerel

It's always nice to eat boneless fish. In addition, smoked mackerel fillet can be used as an ingredient for savory salads, sandwiches, and canapés. To quickly and accurately obtain fish fillets you need to:

Cover the cutting surface with parchment and place the bag on top.
Use a knife to separate the tail and head from the fish.
Open the abdomen, remove the entrails, and clean out the cavity with a knife.
Remove the newspaper with waste and lay out a new bag.
Make a deep cut along the entire back, then from the belly to the tail.
Unfold the carcass like a book, you will get two parts.
From the first part, remove the ridge, using a little help with a knife, along with the ribs.
Remove the remaining rib bones from the second part.
Carefully cut out the fins.
Remove the dirty bag with bones and replace it with a paper napkin.
Place the fish half skin side up.
Trim the top of the skin a little with a knife, then gradually remove the skin with your fingers, pressing down on the meat.
Do the same with the second part.

This is how a fish without skin and bones turned out just like that.

Advantages and disadvantages of fish

Mackerel is one of the best fish in terms of price-quality ratio.
Today, one kilogram of fresh uncut mackerel costs approximately 130 rubles. Of course, this is more expensive than many types of fish sold in stores, but it is always necessary to take into account that some of the fish goes to waste, and the taste properties should not be discounted. Mackerel has few insides and its head is small. Cutting this fish is very simple - you don’t need to clean the scales, you just need to cut off the head (for some recipes this is not required) and clean out the insides. It’s easy to get rid of the intestines - the fish’s belly is dense, thick, and cleans well.

The large volume of blood for fish is the only inconvenience. But the carcass will have to be washed in any case, and all the blood will easily be washed off.

Smoked mackerel fillet canapes

This dish looks very appetizing and elegant. In addition, it is very convenient to eat. To make this snack you will need:

Smoked mackerel fillet.
Fresh cucumber.
Olives.
Parsley.
Skewers.

Cut the fillet into thin slices. Cucumbers - in thin circles. Place an olive on a skewer, then a fillet rolled into a roll, and finish with a slice of cucumber. Place the canapés, skewers side up, on a round dish. Garnish as desired with parsley sprigs.

Mackerel on a bed of bread

The dish looks original and looks like a cake.

Ingredients:

1 mackerel carcass.
200 g cream cheese.
50 ml mayonnaise.
1 lemon.
100 g corn.
Greenery.
1 round loaf of bread.

Cut off the bottom of the bread evenly. Mix cheese with mayonnaise and chopped herbs, place on a bread pillow. Thinly slice the smoked mackerel into slices and place a fan in a circle on top of the cheese. Place corn in the center. Garnish with lemon slices and herbs.

Royal fish slice

Fish products can be perfectly combined on one dish. This cut will look elegant and will decorate any celebration.

You will need:

2 carcasses of smoked mackerel.
200 g fillet of any red fish.
50 g red caviar.
1 lemon.
10 eggs.
Greenery.

Boil the eggs, cut lengthwise into two halves. Cut the mackerel into thin slices. Cut the fillet into slices and twist them into roses. Cut the lemon into thin slices.

Place red fish roses in the center of the dish. Arrange the mackerel with lemon slices and place on the sides of the roses. Place egg halves along the edges of the dish, garnishing them with caviar. Randomly add sprigs of greenery for color.

Quick cleaning of burbot from mucus and scales

There are two ways to clean burbot - the carcass can be cleaned before removing the entrails or after.

Ingredients

Servings: – + 4

burbot 1 piece

Calories and BJU per 100 g

Calories: 80 kcal

Proteins: 18.8 g

Fat: 0.6 g

Carbohydrates: 0 g

15 minutes. Video

The fins are cut lengthwise. They are then forcefully pulled out or cut off with scissors.

At the top of the head above the gills, the skin is pierced with fingers on both sides. A knife is inserted into the hole and the skin around the head is cut.

You need to grab the cuts with pliers or tweezers and remove the skin in one motion.

An incision is made under the lower fin up to the head, through which the insides are removed. The internal organs are pulled out carefully, without damaging the gallbladder. The inner film is removed and the burbot is washed with cool water.

ADVICE! If you are preparing burbot fillet or liver, then it is better to remove the skin at the end of cleaning.

Preparing fillets without pre-cleaning

Without removing the skin, an incision is made from the anus to the head.
The insides are carefully removed and the fish is cut into two parts. The head remains in place.
The burbot is placed on its side, an incision is made along the spine, which gradually deepens to the ribs. Don't cut the bones.
The flesh is cut off from the front, then moves to the tail. The fish is cut along the ridge and turned over to the other side to remove the second fillet.

If you remove the fillet after removing the skin, you can damage the peritoneum. The skin can be easily removed from large burbot. It is better to salt, smoke or dry small fish.

Cutting frozen burbot

Experienced chefs cool the carcass without removing the skin. Thawed fish is washed in cool water. The scales are removed during the washing process. Frozen burbot is gutted in the same sequence as fresh.

If fish has been frozen many times, it has lost its beneficial and tasteful qualities. The structure of the meat has also changed, so cook the fish fresh or chilled.

To ensure that the skin comes off easily and evenly, make deep cuts in the carcass in the places where the skin will be removed. Carefully make incisions in the abdominal cavity, otherwise you may damage the gallbladder, which will lead to an outpouring of bile and spoilage of the product.

Mackerel with king prawns, eggs and caviar

The dish is made very quickly, but has a chic and expensive look.

You will need:

1 carcass of smoked mackerel.
10 eggs.
200 g large shrimp.
50 g of caviar (you can have 25 g of red and black).
2 red onions.
1 lemon.

Place the ingredients on a plate in circular rows. The first row is mackerel, cut into thin slices. Place a slice of lemon under each piece, and a whole boiled shrimp between the pieces. Second row - eggs. They need to be boiled, cut into halves and decorated with caviar. Third row – fan out the remaining shrimp. Place a rose made from red onion in the center.

Proper and beautiful presentation makes the taste of the dish even better. Appetizers of smoked mackerel in combination with other fish delicacies and vegetables look like real masterpieces and have a well-deserved right to be at the center of the festive table. Bon appetit!

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How to choose?

They choose products very carefully, because they will be consumed not only by adults, but also by children. Sellers use tricks and often pump the fish with regular water. After freezing it has a lot of weight, and in fact tiny fish are found at home.

Manufacturers also often add preservatives or salt to better preserve mackerel. To avoid any troubles when choosing, pay attention to the following signs:

the eyes of the fish should be bright in color, protruding and moist;
skin-film - without cuts and tears;
the tail should hang freely from the hand when the fish is placed on the palm;
to check the freshness of the fish, it is placed in a container with water: fresh fish will sink, and spoiled fish will float to the top due to the formation of gases (that is, decomposition) inside the carcass;
there should be no plaque or unnatural spots on the body;
uncharacteristic color indicates spoilage of the fish.

Nuances

Mackerel contains a huge number of vitamins, micro- and macroelements. Therefore, its meat could well be suitable as the basis for an elixir of health and youth, if such a thing existed.

The human body absorbs mackerel protein three times faster than beef protein. This fish contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which helps normalize cholesterol levels. It contains fish oil, which dilates blood vessels, vitamin A, which helps the regeneration and growth of the mucous membrane and skin, sulfur, which prevents the proliferation of harmful bacteria, phosphorus, which strengthens bones and teeth, and selenium, which promotes the normal functioning of the immune system.

It is best to cut a mackerel carcass when frozen, then the process is much faster and easier. Also remember that the meat of this fish is very tender; when it comes into contact with water, it loses its taste and becomes limp. Therefore, after cutting, fillets are never washed, because the taste of the dish will deteriorate.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with Pickled onions - simple quick recipes

How to clean?

Mackerel is a fish that has a thin skin rather than scales - unlike other types of fish, and it also has few bones. During heat treatment, her skin becomes even thinner and softer. Many recipes call for frying or smoking whole fish.

In order to peel fish, you need to follow certain rules.

The fish should not be completely defrosted. If it is chilled, put it in the freezer for 20 minutes, if frozen, leave it at room temperature for no more than 1 hour.
Using kitchen scissors, cut off the head, fins and tail of the mackerel.
The belly is ripped open and all the entrails are removed. All black film must be removed. If you can’t do this with a knife, wash the fish under running water and then blot it with a paper towel. The black film will add bitterness to the dish if it is not completely removed.
Turn the fish over and make a cut along the ridge. Using a sharp knife with a narrow end, pry the skin through the cut at the head and carefully begin to separate it from the meat. Try not to tear the skin, because then cleaning will become more difficult.

The result will be a fish without skin, head, fins and tail, with the entrails removed. This mackerel can be easily marinated and baked in foil, fried in a frying pan or smoked.

How to separate the fillet?

If you only need mackerel fillets for cooking, you need to continue the cleaning process.

The fish is defrosted to room temperature. Otherwise, the fillet will not come away from the bones normally.
Wash the fish thoroughly again.
They make another incision - this time along the abdomen.
Carefully, starting from the head, separate the meat from the bones, leaving it on the ridge.
Separate the fillet from the back bones.
If all steps are performed correctly, the spine will easily detach from the fish fillet.

Cleaning salted fish

If you want something salty, you can buy delicious salted mackerel. It also needs to be cleaned, and unlike fried or smoked fish, you will have to peel the skin. The process is not much different from cleaning fresh fish.

To do this you need:

separate the fins, head and tail;
clean the belly if it has not already been cleaned;
make an incision at the ridge, and carefully pull off the skin from head to tail, trying not to damage the integrity of the carcass;
divide the fish into 2 halves, cutting the carcass along the ridge;
separate the ridge;
cut the salted fillet into pieces and serve. When serving salted fish, the plate is decorated with olives and onions. You can serve the mackerel with lemon, cut into slices.

Cleaning smoked mackerel

Smoked mackerel is a favorite dish for adults. Smoked fish is associated with the countryside, nature and relaxation. And how delicious it smells!

Smoked mackerel is also consumed with the skin, but picky gourmets can still clean the fish.

cut off the head of a fish;
trim the fins and tail;
cuts are made along the ridge and belly, after which the fish is divided into 2 parts;
spine bones are removed;
Carefully, so as not to deform the integrity of the fillet, pry it with a knife and slowly pull off the skin.

Helpful advice

So, you know how to cut mackerel. But it is very difficult to buy good fish in the city. Some unscrupulous sellers increase its weight using a manual injector. In other words, they pump it up with plain tap water.

They can also “instantly salt” fish by adding salt to the water. It tastes like it’s salty, but in fact it’s raw. To prevent the mackerel from spoiling, it is also flavored with a large portion of preservatives. And they will sell it to you as “lightly salted, delicate fish,” and very cheaply too. Therefore, purchase the desired product only from trusted sellers.

Quick marinade

If the fish has already been filleted, you can use a simple tip: pour soy sauce over the fillet, grate orange or lemon zest and rub just a little wasabi into the fillet. Mackerel in this marinade is ready to eat within 20 minutes.

Mackerel goes well with various side dishes, herbs and vegetables. It is served to the table, garnished with sprigs of parsley and dill, or placed on lettuce leaves. Fried mackerel with boiled rice makes a good combination. Fatty sauces and gravies will be unnecessary in the dish, since mackerel fillet has a high percentage of fat content in itself.

Meat is well absorbed by the body, so it is suitable for feeding children and adults. The main thing is to observe moderation in everything. This is especially true for smoked and salted products, which contain a lot of salt. Its excess can cause swelling and creates unnecessary stress on the kidneys.

Properly cut and prepared mackerel is an exquisite delicacy that is affordable and at the same time is distinguished by a rich content of substances valuable for the body.

To learn how to clean and cut mackerel, watch the video below.