Fish guts must be removed before cooking because they are inedible. It is not difficult to remove them, but if you find them repulsive, ask your fishmonger to do it for you. When doing this, it is best to wear latex gloves to protect your hands. Washing the fish after gutting is also very important.
The following is how whole mackerel is smoked in a mechanical kiln: The smoke producer is set to produce the most smoke possible by first setting the kiln thermostat to 30°C, opening the air inlet halfway to three quarters, turning on the main fan, and turning on the chimney fan. The recirculation damper is then adjusted to balance the smoke pressure in the kiln. During this predrying and smoking process, which lasts between three-quarters and an hour, the fish’s surface is dried of excess moisture and the skin starts to set. The air inlet is then turned down to a quarter opening, the thermostats are reset to 50 degrees, and the recirculation damper is adjusted to balance the smoke pressure. The fish start to cook as the temperature and humidity in the kiln rise; high humidity prevents the fish from losing too much weight. The temperature should be maintained at 50°C for a half-hour. The fish’s skin now feels firm, and color development has started. In a single trolley kiln, the trolley is reversed, and the order of the trolleys is reversed for the final cooking stage. The air inlet is closed, the thermostats are set to 80°C, and the recirculation damper is only slightly opened to release any built-up pressure on the smoke producer. Small mackerel will require an additional 40 to 45 minutes to finish the process by the time the kiln temperature reaches 80°C; larger fish require about 75 minutes. As a general rule, smoking should take about three hours. The fish develop a dark golden brown hue, and their skin is dry and shiny. When cooking a fish whole, the thickest part of the flesh at the shoulders should be opaque and free of any jellylike flakes.
Mackerel should have a minimum 10% fat content for a product with good eating quality. The smoked product can be either fillets or whole gutted fish, with or without the head. The mackerel are gutted or headed and gutted for smoked whole fish, as needed. The gut cavity is cleaned, and the black bellywall lining is removed. Single fillets with skin still on are cut from the whole fish for hot smoked fillets.
Whole fish that has been brined can be tied by the tails and hung over tenter rods for smoking, or each fish can be hung by the tails in a keyhole slot cut into a metal frame that has been specifically made for the purpose, as shown in the drawing. Mackerel with heads on can be speated through the eyes. Fillets are placed on trays made of wire mesh covered in nylon or stainless steel. Full tenters, spreads, or trays are loaded onto trolleys, which, once loaded, can either be wheeled into the kiln without draining or left to drain for a half-hour to an hour. The first loaded trolley should be placed at the air outlet end of kilns with more than one, and the last loaded trolley should be placed at the air inlet end.
Brining requires some care. The salt concentration in the water phase of the product should be at least 3% in order to reduce the risk of food poisoning organisms growing there; this concentration expressed in terms of water plus the solid components of the flesh is less than 3%. It is also necessary to gauge the product’s water content in order to gauge the salt concentration in the water phase. Hot smoked mackerel with a 3% salt concentration is not too salty for most consumers.
It is challenging to complete the entire process of gutting, brining, and smoking in a typical working day because a gutted mackerel of average size and fat content must stay in the typical 80° brine for five hours before the salt concentration reaches the advised 3%. As an alternative, the fish can be brined overnight by using a weaker brine for a much longer time. The following brining conditions, as a general rule, result in a quality product.
Some cooks prefer to remove the strong-tasting “blood line” of dark flesh that runs the length of the mackerel near the backbone. Make a narrow, shallow V-shaped cut on either side of the bloodline, then grip it with your fingertips. It should pull right out, though you might have to encourage it a little with your knife.
Smoothly and sweepingly, draw the blade toward the tail, angling it around the belly so that it leaves the ribs behind and avoids cutting into the belly cavity.
Your knife should be turned so that it rests horizontally on the backbone and faces the tail. Lifting the fillet away from the bones but leaving it attached at the tail, draw the knife in long, even strokes from the head to the end of the fish.
If you prefer to eat your mackerel in the form of boneless fillets, you have a few more steps to complete. This is easiest if youve left the head on during cleaning, because it provides a convenient grip for your hand. If you already know how to fillet any other common fish, the process will be very familiar.
When you reach the cut at the mackerel’s throat, slide the knife tip along the length of the fish’s belly.
FAQ
How do you remove guts from mackerel?
How to gut a Fish. Fish purchased from a fishmonger are typically already gutted. It’s crucial to do this to get rid of the guts if you catch your own fish or purchase fish that hasn’t already been gutted. The procedure for gutting a mackerel is demonstrated here, but it can be used for any fish.
Do you need to gut mackerel before cooking?
Because mackerel are fatty fish and are typically not gutted at sea, they spoil quickly unless they are immediately chilled after being caught and kept chilled.
