Pickled fish has been used as a preservation technique for hundreds of years, and it’s a great way to keep a catch fresh for a decent amount of time. While the idea of eating pickled fish may not seem all that appetizing at first, the finished product can be surprisingly-tasty and nutritious. The process is also very easy, and all you need are some basic ingredients and a few canning jars in order to whip up a batch at home.
Benefits
Pickling adds nutrients that we can’t get from eating cooked or dried fish alone. These include calcium from dissolved bones, as well as all of the benefits associated with vinegar and certain spices that are known to have healing properties. Best of all, pickling preserves the nutritional value of the fish itself as these compounds don’t get destroyed through cooking in high heat for long periods of time. Finally, you can modify the ingredients in order to create a finished product that suits your tastes as well.
Getting Started
The first step is to clean and prepare the cold water fish of your choice. Pike, trout, perch, suckers, salmon, and herring are just a few examples of fish that are perfect for this method. In the case of pike, you don’t even need to worry about removing the Y bones as they will dissolve in the brine. Cut the fish into inch by half-inch pieces and either simmer them in pickling brine or freeze them for two days in order to kill off any harmful parasites.
Brine
There are a couple of different schools of thought when it comes to brining the fish. You can use salt or sugar, and you can either brine, rinse and brine again, or you can skip the rinsing step. Rinsing is though to improve the flavor of the fish as the initial soak will remove a lot of contaminants that can impact taste. However, this isn’t necessary, and you should experiment with both options to see which one works best for you.
Combine a cup of pickling salt with a cup of water and mix until the salt dissolves. Add in the fish, and let it soak for about an hour before draining. Next, create a heavy brine with 2 ½ cups of salt and a gallon of water before adding the fish again. Let it soak in the refrigerator or outside in temperatures below 40 degrees for at least 12 hours before rinsing the fish with cold water when finished.
Next, place a couple of bay leaves, a tablespoon of cloves, pepper, dried hot pepper, along with with a teaspoon of mustard seed and coriander into a large kettle. Pour in 2 quarts of vinegar and 5 cups of fresh, cold water. Bring to a low boil and cook for about 10 minutes. When finished, take the pieces of fish and place them in a single layer on a plate or tray before refrigerating until the fish cools.
Pack the fish in sterilized canning jars before adding in some sliced onions. Strain the cooking liquid before bringing to a boil once again, and then pour the hot liquid over the fish until ¼ inch of headspace remains. Seal with the lids and refrigerate the finished product until ready to eat. You can expect to have a shelf life of around a month as long as temperatures are stable.
Cold Brine
Using a non-cook method takes a bit longer, but it also produces a fresher finished product. It’s also an ideal option in a grid-down situation when cooking may be a challenge. All you need to do is place 2 quarts of fish into a large non-metallic bowl before adding a ½ cup of salt, a quart of vinegar and a gallon of water that has been thoroughly-mixed. Weigh down the fish with a bowl or plate to keep it submerged, and let it sit in the refrigerator for about five days.
When finished, combine about a cup of vinegar, ½ cup of water and ½ of sugar into a saucepan, and bring the mixture to a low simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Drain and rinse the fish before placing the pieces into mason jars. Add in some onion, garlic or additional spices before pouring in your mixture and sealing the jars. Let the jars rest in the refrigerator for a few days for the fish to become infused with the flavors before consuming. You can expect a shelf life of about two weeks as long as the jars are kept at a stable temperature.
Don’t forget that you can experiment with different seasoning and flavors, and consider trying both options in order to get a sense of what you can accomplish. In any case, this is a great way to preserve fish over the medium-term, and this can be particularly-useful during a cool-weather survival situation.
