Pickled Fish
Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients, once the pickle is prepared, it will do several batches of fish. It is high in anti-inflammatory ingredients including 3-Omega fatty acids and turmeric.
Pickle:
This delicious pickle will keep in the fridge for months. Use a few tablespoons full for each serving of fish. As a rule, this quantity of pickle is enough for 2kg fish.
Tips:
You can chop the onions and garlic to whatever size you like but I often don't have the energy to chop so I throw the whole lot, including the sultanas, in the food processor until everything is chopped fairly finely prior to microwaving it. (See pictures of both versions) This recipe is very forgiving. If you don't have the whole spices, estimate the equivalent quantity of ground spice or replace the whole lot with 2 Tbsp of any mild cumin-rich Malay type curry powder and add an extra T turmeric and 1 tsp ground black pepper.
Ingredients
Makes 10
- 2 large onions
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1cup apple cider vinegar (or other vinegar if you prefer)
- 0.5cup water
- 75ml golden brown sugar
- 8 peppercorns
- 1tbsp turmeric
- 4 cloves
- 4 allspice berries
- 2 split cardamom pods
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 0.5tsp nutmeg
- 2tsp cumin
- 2tsp coriander
- 1tsp salt
- 0.5cup sultanas
- 2tsp cornflour
- 10 200g fillets of hirimasa
Method
Pickle:
- Food process all of the except the fish (or if you don't have a food processor, chop onions and garlic before mixing with other ingredients).
- Add 2 bay leaves and microwave or simmer in a pot for 12 minutes. I sometimes make a large batch of pickle which I keep in the fridge ready for the next time I buy fish.
Fish:
Coat fish fillets or cubes of oily fish with pickle (about ¼ cup pickle per 1 cup fish) and bake on a tray at 180°C for 20 min, turning fish after 10 mins. I use Hiramasa (yellow tailed kingfish) or salmon. If you use very thin fillets, reduce the total cooking time to 10-15 mins. It is delicious hot or cold and will keep for up to a week in the fridge without smelling fishy.