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This is a good way to preserve fish for a few weeks, when you have so much fresh fish you don't know what to do with it, even after giving half away to fellow cruisers or local people. And I'm talking a LOT of fish here, like the 36 lb Wahoo Nev caught off the back of the boat. SERVES 6 Preparation Time: 10 Minutes |
| 3 lb fresh white fish e.g dorado, wahoo | 1 tblsp pickling spices (e.g. bay leaf, mustard seeds, coriander seeds) |
| 1 cup of oil | 2 cups vinegar |
| 3 onions, chopped | 1 cup water or tomato juice |
| 1/2 cup sugar | 3 heaped teasp cornstarch |
| 1 1/2 teasp salt | 1/4 cup water |
Make sure the fish is skinned and filleted with no bones. Dredge the fillet steaks in flour mixed with a bit of salt, and fry them on both sides in hot oil until golden. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions until nearly translucent. Add the sugar, salt, pepper and spices, and leave on a very low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the vinegar and water or tomato juice, and heat till boiling. Mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water, pour slowly into the boiling liquid while stirring constantly, and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes.
Place the fried fish in a large container and pour the hot pickling liquid over. The fish must be completely covered - if not, make another batch of liquid and pour over. Close with a good lid; when the liquid sets, the oil will be on top so no air can reach the fish.
The pickled fish should not be stored in the fridge. After 3 days, it will be ready to eat. Do not reheat. Make sure there is always a layer of oil covering the fish and it will keep for up to 4 weeks.
I really like to eat the fish with fried potatoes, or some freshly-baked bread.