Lightly Salted Spicy Mackerel “Murmansk Fat”

by Editorial Staff

Special ambassador of mackerel! Murmansk fat – this is how this method of salting mackerel is called. The fish is very tasty, tender, lightly salted and spicy. It’s also a very convenient way to store the mackerel in the freezer and take it out as needed.

Summary

Prep Time	20 mins
Course	Main Dish
Cuisine	Russian
Servings (Default: 4)

Ingredients

Fresh frozen mackerel – 2 pcs. (total weight of 4 fillets – 560 g)
Garlic – 4 cloves
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Dried bay leaves – 2-4 pcs.
Sugar – 0.5 teaspoon
Ground black pepper – 0.5 teaspoon
Ground coriander – 0.5 teaspoon

Lightly Salted Spicy Mackerel “Murmansk Fat”

Instructions

Wash the mackerel, remove the head, tail, fins and entrails.
Make an incision along the ridge, trying to go as close to the bone as possible to cut off as few fillets as possible. Expand the incision and reach the ridge and ribs with your hands. We should have 4 mackerel fillets.
Mix salt and sugar.
Salt the fish well from all sides. Mackerel turns out to be lightly salted, if you like a stronger salting, increase the amount of salt.)
Peel the garlic and grate finely.
Grind the bay leaf, you can even use a knife to make the particles as small as possible.
Add black pepper and coriander to the bay leaf. Mix it all.
Grease the mackerel fillet with garlic, evenly spreading and rubbing. (If you are worried about garlic, then I hasten to assure you that it is garlic in moderation that gives the original taste of mackerel, while after freezing it loses its sharpness.)
Sprinkle the fillets with a mixture of spices, salt and sugar.
Fold the mackerel fillets in pairs, on top of each other.
Pack the mackerel in plastic wrap.
Leave to salt and marinate at room temperature for 3-5 hours or in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours. After salting, put the mackerel in the freezer for at least 2 hours to freeze it. You can also store mackerel in the freezer.
Cut frozen mackerel into thin slices; frozen mackerel can be cut very thinly.
Add lightly salted spicy mackerel “Murmansk fat” to melt for 15-20 minutes, and can be served.

Bon appetit!

About Editorial Staff

The Boss Kitchen editorial staff oversees content review, fact-checking, and recipe verification across the site. Published articles pass through the editorial team before going live, ensuring ingredient lists, techniques, cooking times, and nutritional claims hold up in a home kitchen. The team coordinates contributions across the site writers, handles reader corrections, and maintains consistency in measurement conventions, safety guidance, and dietary labeling. Posts under this byline typically represent team-reviewed reference material, site announcements, or editorial roundups rather than individual-author features, and they are held to the same sourcing standards as bylined recipe and product coverage.