Creamed Mackerel with Vegetables

This dish was one of my favorite when I was a teen. I remember making it pretty often during my first years in the U.S. when we were homesick. Not sure how widespread it was in the Soviet era and what variations existed. We discussed it in the LCL Group on Facebook, and apparently, the recipe with tomatoes was more popular. In other regions, pink salmon (aka Gorbusha) was more available than mackerel and was cooked similarly. The recipe below is how my Mom made it. I loved eating creamed mackerel with vegetables as a cold appetizer after school. My favorite part of this dish was the vegetables — naturally sweet, slightly flavored with sea salt and umami, and rounded with silky cream. They had to be soft and barely crunchy.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Prepare ingredients.

Step 2

Peel carrots and cut carrots to matchsticks.

Step 3

Peel and sliver onions.

Step 4

Wash, trim, and slice scallions.

Step 5

Prepare mackerel. Clean and cut it into portions.

Step 6

Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat.

Step 7

Saute carrots in melted butter for 1-2 minutes. Add onions.

Step 8

Add 2 cups of cold water and season. Arrange slices of mackerel fillet on top of (or mackerel steaks dipped into) the vegetable layer. Lower the heat to min. Cover with a lid and slowly cook for 15 minutes.

Step 9

Turn off the heat, add cream, garnish with scallions and parsley (if using) and keep covered until cooled down to room temperature.

Step 10

Serve warm or cold with sliced crusty bread. Enjoy!

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