Pickled Mackerel, Herrings, or Sprats (No. 171)

The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's ... · Kitchiner, William · 1817

Source: The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's Manual
Yield: 36.0 mackerel
Status: success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (10)

for pickling

Mackerel, Herrings, or Sprats ↝ Fish, mackerel, spanish, raw [Finfish and Shellfish Products]
salt and water ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
salt, one pound ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
bay-salt, one pound ↝ Spices, bay leaf [Spices and Herbs]
saltpetre, two ounces
lump-sugar, two ounces ↝ Sugar, white, granulated or lump [Sugars and honey]

for broiling sprats

sprats
flour ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]
salt ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
melted butter ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]

Instructions (18)

Procure mackerel, herrings, or sprats as fresh as possible.
Split them, take off the heads, and trim off the thin part of the belly.
Put them into salt and water for one hour.
Drain and wipe your fish.
Put the fish into jars or casks.
Prepare the pickling mixture: grind and pound together one pound each of salt and bay-salt, and two ounces each of saltpetre and lump-sugar.
Place a layer of the preparation at the bottom of the jar or cask.
Add a layer of mackerel with the skin-side downwards.
Continue layering alternately until the cask or jar is full.
Press the contents down and cover it close.
The pickled fish will be fit for use in about three months.

Broiled Sprats

If you do not have a sprat gridiron, use a piece of pointed iron wire as thick as packthread and as long as your gridiron is broad.
Run the wire through the heads of your sprats.
Sprinkle a little flour and salt over them.
Place your gridiron over a clear, quick fire.
Turn the sprats in about a couple of minutes.
When the other side is brown, draw out the wire.
Send up the fish with melted butter in a cup.

Original Text

Pickled Mackerel, Herrings, or Sprats.—(No. 171.)

Procure them as fresh as possible, split them, take off the heads, and trim off the thin part of the belly, put them into salt and water for one hour, drain and wipe your fish, and put them into jars or casks, with the following preparation, which is enough for three dozen mackerel. Take salt and bay-salt, one pound each, saltpetre and lump-sugar, two ounces each; grind and pound the salt, &c. well together, put the fish into jars or casks, with a layer of the preparation at the bottom, then a layer of mackerel with the skin-side downwards, so continue alternately till the cask or jar is full; press it down and cover it close. In about three months they will be fit for use.

Sprats broiled.—(No. 170*—Fried, see No. 173.)

If you have not a sprat gridiron, get a piece of pointed iron wire as thick as packthread, and as long as your gridiron is broad; run this through the heads of your sprats, sprinkle a little flour and salt over them, put your gridiron over a clear, quick fire, turn them in about a couple of minutes; when the other side is brown, draw out the wire, and send up the fish with melted butter in a cup.

Obs. That sprats are young herrings, is evident by their anatomy, in which there is no perceptible difference. They appear very soon after the herrings are gone, and seem to be the spawn just vivified.

Notes

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