[Explanation with photos! ] How to freeze mackerel fillets and 5 carefully selected recipes!

How do you usually store the mackerel you buy?

Mackerel has long been said to be a perishable food item, and it has been difficult to preserve it unless you eat it on the same day you buy it.

However, by freezing it, it can be preserved for several weeks.

There are several ways to freeze food, including simply wrapping it in plastic wrap and freezing it, and adding seasoning to the food before freezing.

In particular, the method of seasoning and freezing can be applied to standard dishes such as miso-ni, miso-zuke, and tatsuta-age. By using it wisely, you can also shorten the cooking time.

In addition to how to freeze mackerel, this article introduces the appropriate thawing method and approximate storage period. At the end of the article, we will introduce recipes using frozen ingredients, so please take a look.

Nutrition of mackerel

Nutritional value and calories of mackerel

The calorie content of mackerel is 202kcal per 100g (mackerel, raw).

If you compare typical blue fish, you will find that mackerel has a low calorie content. For reference, the highest value is 310kcal for saury, and the lowest value is 106kcal for tuna.

It is a food rich in both vitamins and minerals, and notable nutrients include vitamin A, iron, and selenium. In addition, you should not overlook the unsaturated fatty acids that are characteristic of blue fish.

The list of vitamins and minerals is as follows.

【vitamin】
Vitamins A, D, E, K, B1, B2, niacin, B6, B12, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin

【mineral】
Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, iodine, chromium, selenium

【fatty acid】
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)

Effects of mackerel

[Arteriosclerosis prevention effect]
Mackerel has the ability to prevent arteriosclerosis. This is due to the action of unsaturated fatty acids DHA and EPA, which have been recognized to improve cholesterol levels and reduce the amount of triglycerides. These unsaturated fatty acids reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis and prevent cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction.

[Bokeh prevention effect]
There is another side to the unsaturated fatty acid DHA. That is the anti-blur effect. DHA has the power to activate brain cells and improve the transmission rate of electrical signals in the brain. It is said that smoother signal transmission within the brain leads to improved memory and learning ability.

[Anti-aging effect]
It also has anti-aging properties, which may be surprising. As we mentioned earlier, mackerel is rich in selenium, a type of mineral. Selenium has strong antioxidant power and prevents cell damage caused by active oxygen, so it is expected to have anti-aging effects.

In addition, the iron contained in chiai part has an anemia prevention effect, and the vitamin A has an eye strain prevention effect.

Advantages of freezing mackerel

No need to worry about food poisoning

Mackerel is said to be one of the foods that go bad quickly. Freezing can extend the shelf life.

Also, the most dangerous bluefish is the ``anisakis''. However, Anisakis can be killed by freezing.

If it can be stored for a long time and there is no need to worry about food poisoning, then there is no reason not to freeze stock mackerel.

Can reduce cooking time

Cooking fish is characterized by many time-consuming steps, such as cutting it into three pieces and removing small bones. There is also the stress of getting sticky hands and dirty boards.

If you know the freezing techniques, you can process a lot of mackerel at once and freeze them all at once. Once it's processed and frozen, all you have to do is take it out of the freezer and heat it up.

By seasoning the food in advance and freezing it, you can eliminate the hassle of seasoning and the time it takes to marinate the sauce. By making full use of frozen storage, you can significantly reduce the time and effort required for cooking.

How to freeze mackerel

When freezing raw

[When making grilled fish]
1) Sprinkle salt on the fillet and let it sit for a while, then wipe off the water that comes out.

2) Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag, and freeze.

★Suitable for grilling with salt.
★Make sure to remove as much air as possible from inside the freezer bag (to prevent oxidation due to exposure to air).

[When making boiled fish]
1) Make an X-shaped incision on the leather side and quickly soak it in boiling water or wash it with water to remove blood and dirt.

2) Wipe off the water, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag, and freeze.

★Suitable for making miso stew and ginger stew.
★By removing blood and dirt from food in advance, you can start cooking with the odor removed after thawing.

When freezing with seasoning

1) Place the fillets in a freezer bag and add seasonings.

2) Remove the air from the freezer bag, seal it, and freeze.

★Suitable for making Tatsuta-age and Miso-zuke-yaki.

How to thaw mackerel and storage period

How to defrost mackerel

[Defrost in refrigerator]
We generally recommend thawing frozen mackerel in the refrigerator. Defrosting often takes 6 hours or more, so count backwards from the cooking start time.

[Ice water thawing]
You can defrost food a little faster by filling a bowl with ice water and submerging it in ice water. Depending on the thickness of the food and the room temperature, a rough guideline is 1 to 3 hours.

As mackerel is easily perishable, thawing at room temperature is not recommended. If you need to defrost food in a hurry, you may want to use the defrost mode on your microwave.

【microwave oven】
If you use a microwave, make sure to heat completely frozen (not melted) food. This can prevent uneven heating.

Storage period of mackerel

If frozen raw, the approximate shelf life is 2 to 3 weeks.

If seasoned and frozen, the approximate shelf life is 3 to 4 weeks.

Adding seasoning removes the moisture in the food, allowing it to be preserved for a longer period of time.

5 easy recipes using mackerel

Miso stew

Source: https://cookpad.com/recipe/2586839

☑材料（2~4人分）
・鯖　2~4切れ
・水　100ml
●醤油　大さじ1
●味噌　大さじ2
●砂糖　大さじ2
●みりん　大さじ2
●酒　大さじ4
●おろししょうが　小さじ1

<How to make>
1) Thaw the frozen mackerel in the refrigerator or in ice water, then cut an X in the skin. At this time, if any blood or dirt remains, remove it with boiling water or water.
2) Put water and the seasonings in a pot, heat over medium heat, and then add the mackerel.
3) After removing the scum, cover with a lid (aluminum foil is OK) and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
4) Remove the lid and heat for about 5 minutes over medium heat, the broth will become viscous and it is ready.

★Do not turn the mackerel over while it is boiling (to prevent it from falling apart).

Miso marinated grilled

Source: https://cookpad.com/recipe/2599708

☑材料（4人分）
・鯖　4切れ
●味噌　大さじ3
●みりん　大さじ1
●酒　大さじ1
●すりおろししょうが　小さじ1

<How to make>
1) Thaw the frozen mackerel in the refrigerator or in ice water, wash it with water, and remove the bones. (You can shorten the process by freezing mackerel that has been washed and deboned in advance.)
2) Mix the ● seasonings in Tupperware, spread the miso sauce on both sides of the mackerel, and place in the refrigerator to marinate for a day.
3) Once the mackerel has been sufficiently marinated, wash off the miso sauce, wipe dry with kitchen paper, and grill both sides of the mackerel.

★If you freeze it in advance with the seasonings in ●, you can skip steps (1) and (2) and start from step (4) all at once.

Grilled with salt

Source: https://erecipe.woman.excite.co.jp

☑材料（2人分）
・鯖　2切れ
・塩　少々
・大根おろし　お好み
・大葉
・レモン

<How to make>
1) Thaw the frozen mackerel in the refrigerator or in ice water, and make an X cut on the skin side. Sprinkle salt on both sides, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then wipe it dry.
2) Lightly coat the grill with salad oil and grill the mackerel, skin side up.
3) Spread shiso leaves in a bowl, arrange the mackerel, and add grated daikon radish and lemon to complete the dish.

★If you make a slit in advance, soak it with salt, and freeze it, you can start from state (2) without thawing it.
★If you want to freeze the salt-grilled mackerel you bought, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it after it is grilled in step (2).

Boiled ginger

Source: https://www.kyounoryouri.jp

☑材料（2人分）
・鯖　2切れ
・しょうが　1かけ
●醤油　20ml
●みりん　20ml
●酒　80ml
●水　80ml

<How to make>
1) Thaw the frozen mackerel in the refrigerator or in ice water, then cut an X in the skin. At this time, if any blood or dirt remains, remove it with boiling water or water.
2) Add the mackerel, thinly sliced ginger, and the seasonings listed in ● to a pot, then cover with a lid and simmer over medium heat until it thickens.

★The key to making the broth delicious is to use the ratio of ``soy sauce: mirin: sake: water = 1:1:4:4''.
★If you make incisions in advance and remove any blood or other stains before freezing, you can start from step (2) without thawing.

Fried Tatsuta

Source: https://cookpad.com/recipe/1038053

☑材料（4人分）
・鯖　4~6切れ
●醤油　大さじ2
●酒　大さじ1
●おろししょうが　小さじ1
●ガーリックパウダー　小さじ1
・片栗粉　適量
・油　適量

<How to make>
1) Thaw the frozen mackerel in the refrigerator or ice water, then cut it into bite-sized pieces.
2) Mix the seasonings (●), put them together with the mackerel in a plastic bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to half a day.
3) Sprinkle each piece with potato starch and fry over medium heat until golden brown. Finally, wipe off excess oil with kitchen paper and it's done.

★If you soak it in the seasoning ● beforehand and freeze it, you can start from step (3) immediately after thawing.

Conclusion

How do you freeze mackerel?

1. How to freeze raw food
2. Freezing method with seasoning

We introduced two methods.

The first method was introduced separately for the grilled fish pattern and the boiled fish pattern. Although there are differences in preparation, there is no major difference in that they are wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag.

The second method of adding seasoning is directly connected to shortening the cooking time because the storage period equals the time required to add the sauce. There are a wide variety of seasonings, so please enjoy using them.

If frozen raw, store for 2 to 3 weeks, and if frozen with seasoning, store for 3 to 4 weeks.

Mackerel is an ingredient that is easily available throughout the year, so there are many opportunities to freeze it. In that case, please try this method.