Taste of the Wild: Pickled Fish

A little bit of patience is necessary to craft your own pickled fish, because the recipe involves a period of brining the fish to give it stability before the actual pickling. You can use anything from fresh panfish to walleyes or even halibut and salmon with this basic recipe. Add optional slices of fresh orange or lemon for an additional pop of flavor. The process is simple, so clear out a spot in the refrigerator and get started. Important: To kill parasites, always freeze fish for 48 hours first. 

Brining steps 

½ cup non-iodized salt (canning salt)

1 quart cool water

1½ pounds of frozen fish (use panfish, pike, walleye, panfish, herring, salmon, or halibut.) Remove scales and (if desired) skin from the fish and cut it into bite-sized chunks. 

Using a large stainless or glass (not aluminum) container, combine salt and water and stir until the salt is dissolved. Add the fish chunks and gently stir to make sure the pieces are separated. Place in refrigerator, covered, for at least 24 hours.

1 to 1½ quarts of white vinegar

After 24 hours, drain off and discard the salt brine, then completely cover the fish with white vinegar. As with the salt brine, it is important to gently stir the fish to separate and make sure all pieces are exposed to the vinegar. Cover and refrigerate for another 12 hours. Drain and discard vinegar.

Make a spiced syrup solution

4 cups white vinegar

3 cups white sugar

1 cup white wine (a sweeter Riesling or Pinot Grigio work best)

¼ cup pickling spice

3 bay leaves

Dissolve sugar in vinegar. Heat, but don’t boil. Add wine and spices and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and allow to completely cool. 

(Hint from the kitchen: Make the syrup the same day that you put the fish in the vinegar bath so it has a chance to be thoroughly chilled before the next step.)

2 raw onions, sliced thin 

2 oranges or lemons, sliced thin (optional) 

Using clean canning jars with lids or several smaller containers you can tightly cover. Make alternating layers of a few fish chunks, some onion slices, and, if desired, lemon or orange slices until the jar is almost full, then pour spiced syrup solution over the top. It is better to use several small containers instead of one large container for the best flavor.

Cover and refrigerate for about two weeks. It is OK to eat after about a day, but you’ll find that it’s more flavorful if you let it rest at least a week. You must keep this refrigerated at all times. 

To enjoy, simply remove fish pieces from the pickling juice and serve with crackers or eat them as they are.