Easy Pickled Fish Recipe
Pickled fish was one of my favorite snacks growing up and I still enjoy it today. On occasion I would get the opportunity to enjoy a real treat when someone would bring pickled northern pike to the table. The difference is in the firmness of the fish. Unlike store bought pickled herring, pickled pike remains very firm and clean. This heightens the enjoyment tremendously and has even converted a few peoples that claimed to not like pickled fish.
In Alaska, at least in the area that I was in and now here in Florida there are no northern pike, so I began to seek out an adequate substitution. In Alaska I found one, pickled pollock. The pollock, like the pike, retains a nice firmness to the fish and is a great whitefish to compliment the pickling spices. I have yet to make pickled fish here in Florida but I suspect that the invasive Mayan’s and Cichlids would work nicely so I will have to go after a batch to try one of these days. In the meantime, here is the recipe that I use for pickling fish, Hope you enjoy.
Pickled Fish
1 gallon whitefish
Two sweet onions
Fish Prep (1/2 Gallon Fish)
- 1 1/3 cup canning salt or Iodine free salt
Add layers of fish and salt in a large jar (1/gallon or 2 half gallons
Cover with white vinegar until 2-3 inches above fish
Let sit in refrigerator for five days shaking daily to mix salt and vinegar
Rinse fish and throw away brine, place fish in bowl, cover with water, and add Ice. Then let sit for one hour to firm up fish.
Mix pickling brine in large pot
- 8 cups white vinegar
- 7 cups white sugar
- 1/3 cup/box pickling spices
- 1/3 cup white whine
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for five minutes. Cool brine in refrigerator until completely cold.
In the 1-gallon jar add layers of fish and sweet onion sliced thin until jar is full. Fill jar with brine and then refrigerate for three days. Once fish begins to sink it is done.
