Pickled Fish Recipe
By Doug Stange
Print Recipe
Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.
Pike are excellent pickled, but most fish work, with perch being popular in ice country in March, after a long winter season of eating lots of them pan-fried and deep-fried. Redhorse suckers also pickle well.
Many fish-pickling recipes are online today. This rendition stretches back at least four generations, standing the test of time. The main modern nuance to pickling recipes is recognition that pickling alone may not kill the larval tapeworms that may be present in some fish. Minnesota Sea Grant has long recommended freezing fish at 0°F for at least 48 hours to kill the parasites, before you proceed with the pickling process.
Advertisement
Pickled Fish Recipe: In Wine Yield: 1 ½ pounds pickled fish Ready in: 7 days
Pickled Fish Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds filleted fish 1 cup salt 1 quart water 2-3 cups white vinegar, divided 1-2 onions, thinly sliced 1 cup sugar ½ cup white wine ¼ piece of sliced lemon, squeezed 1 tablespoon pickling spices Pickled Eggs Ingredients:
2-3 dozen hard-cooked eggs 1 (16-ounce) can of sliced beets 1/2 cup of thinly sliced onion 4 bay leaves 6 whole cloves 1 cup brown sugar ½ teaspoons red food coloring 2 cups white vinegar
Advertisement
Directions:
Cut the filleted fish (about 1.5 pounds) into chunks. Make a salt brine by adding 1 cup of salt to a quart of water. Add the fish chunks to the brine in a large glass jar or other glass container, and refrigerate for 48 hours. Drain and add enough white vinegar to cover the fish. Refrigerate for another 48 hours. Drain. In glass jars make a layer of fish followed by a layer of thinly sliced onion, more fish, and so on until each jar is almost full. Make pickling brine by boiling the following for five minutes: 2 cups of white vinegar, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of white wine, 1/4 piece of sliced lemon squeezed (and add the squeezed portion), and a tablespoon of pickling spices. Let the brine cool and pour enough into each jar to fill it to the top. Refrigerate for 7 days. Yes, it's a long wait. Shell two- or three-dozen hard-cooked eggs and let them cool. In a large glass jar or wide-mouth stone crock, add the 16-ounce can of sliced beets with the juice, 1/2 cup of thinly sliced onion, 4 bay leaves, 6 whole cloves, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoons of red food coloring, and 2 cups of white vinegar. Mix and add the eggs, more vinegar if required to cover the eggs, and refrigerate for at least 2 days. Need a good knife for the job? Check out FishUSA’s selection of fillet knives—perfect for prepping your next batch of pickled fish!
