prep time: 4 minutes, plus 24 hours to brine and 5 days to pickle
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cook time: 5 minutes
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yield: 12 servings
prep time: 4 minutes, plus 24 hours to brine and 5 days to pickle
•
cook time: 5 minutes
•
yield: 12 servings
It wouldn’t be the holidays without my dad’s pickled fish. He often goes ice fishing and pickles Northern Pike because it is hard to fillet all the bones out of that type of fish. When pickled, the bones get soft and disintegrate, so you can enjoy Northern Pike without crunching on the bones—and still get a ton of healthy calcium from the bones.
4 pounds herring or skinned Northern Pike fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces (see note)
saltwater brine:
10 cups water
½ cup fine sea salt
pickling brine:
½ cup thinly sliced red onions
Handful of fresh dill
2 cups water
2½ cups coconut vinegar
½ cup Swerve confectioners’-style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener ( see here )
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon dry mustard or mustard seeds
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon prepared horseradish
½ teaspoon peppercorns
for serving:
Hard-boiled eggs ( see here ), halved or quartered
Pickled ginger
Capers
Fermented pickles
Sliced red onions
Fresh dill sprigs
1. Place the fish in a large bowl with the 10 cups of water. Add the salt and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, then drain the fish and rinse it well.
2. Place the drained and rinsed fish in a clean 2-liter glass jar, layering it with the sliced onions and dill.
3. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the 2 cups of water, coconut vinegar, sweetener, allspice, mustard, ginger, horseradish, and peppercorns. Once the sweetener has dissolved, about 5 minutes, allow the brine to cool a little, then pour over the fish packed in the jar. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld; the longer the better for stronger flavors. If you let it sit for 5 days, the bones will dissolve. The pickled fish will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
4. To serve, arrange the pickled fish on a platter with hard-boiled eggs, pickled ginger, capers, fermented pickles, sliced red onions, and fresh dill.
note: If using Northern Pike fillets, ask your fishmonger to remove the skin for you. If the skin is left on, the pickled fish will be slimy.
busy family tip: If you do not fish or prefer not to prep the fish yourself, ask your local fishmonger to cut the fish into 2-inch pieces.
