# Pickled Fish



## Northwoods (Mar 4, 2011)

When I moved up to the arctic wasteland of Minnesota, I resisted assimilation by the locals as much as I could. I still won't say ooohhh yaaa, or dontcha know like the rest of them, but they have got me eating pickled fish. It is kind of like a Texas Chilli thing with the pickled fish up here; everybody has a recipe, and everyone thinks theirs is the best. I tried a half dozen different pickled fish recipes, and they all tasted nasty to me except for this one. I did a little tweaking to it, and I have gotten good reviews from the locals, and some family back home. It works well for any fish that has a lot of small bones. When I clean northern pike, I take out the rib bones and that's it, the vinegar dissolves the Y bones. 

Filet and remove rib bones of fish. Cut into pieces. Put in large glass or plastic bowl in solution of: 1 cup salt to 4 cups water. Let stand 48 hours at room temperature.
Drain and rinse well with cold water. Put back in bowl & cover with vinegar, refrigerate for 24 hours. 
Take fish out and drain, but do not rinse.

(Makes 2 1/2 lbs of fish.)
Brine: Bring the following ingredients to a boil then place in the refrigerator to cool. 2 cups white vinegar, 5 whole cloves, 1-cup sugar, 1 tsp. whole allspice, 4 bay leaves, 1 tsp. whole pepper corns, 1 head of garlic, (cloves peeled), and sliced habenero or jalapeno for a little zing. Add 1-1/4 cup sweet white wine, (Chardonnay or something cheap is fine). 
Pour cold brine over & refrigerate. When I pack the jars, I put one thick slice of lemon on the bottom of the jar, the onion on the sides, along with one of the peppers, some of the garlic, one or two bay leaves, with the fish in the middle. You don't want to pack them too tight, otherwise the flavors won't mix well. It's up to you on the spices from the brine. I don't put the cloves or the alspice in the jars because I think it overpowers everything else, so I only put the peppercorns in the final pack. Ready to eat in 2 weeks, but if it sits for three, the flavors will be fully absorbed by the fish.


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## Finger_Mullet (Aug 19, 2005)

This does not sound very appealing to me but I would love to try it. I guess you never know until you try it.

Darin


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## Northwoods (Mar 4, 2011)

I thought the same thing, but it's actually good on crackers. I guess if you like pickled stuff then it would be something you would enjoy more. It's good for fish that have a ton of small bones or have a strong fishy taste, but it is not my first choice for how to prepare fish.


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## zdogk9 (Sep 17, 2012)

Yup, ya betcha!


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