Published March 2021, Updated March 2024
Fish recipes are delicious any time of the year but pickled fish is a traditional South African Easter celebration and we make a lot of fish at Easter! Fish pickled in an onion and spice vinegar solution, then layered and left to marinate in the fridge days ahead of Good Friday when it's served with hot cross buns.
South African Pickled Fish
I have been making pickled fish my entire life and that's many decades so if this is your first time making pickled fish, it's really very easy.
We cook batches of fish in onions and spices then each layer of fish is left to marinade in a vinegar and cold water solution also known as the pickeling sauce.
This Cape Malay South African dish is a firm favorite made with hake, kingklip, yellowtail, herring or white fish with firm flesh.
Pickled fish traditionaly is a preservation method hence the fish is pickled in a white or brown vinegar solution. The spices used are specific family to family but include curry powder, bay leaves, whole cloves, turmeric, garam masala and so forth.
The ingredients are in categories of the batter for frying the fish, the sauce and the onion pickle.
Pickled Fish Ingredients
- Fish: white fish fresh or frozen and thawed (cut into portions or fish chunks)
- Flour: Cake flour or all purpose flour
- Eggs: Room temperature
- Seasoning: Fish spice (optional) salt and black pepper
- Vegetable oil: Canola, Sunflower etc.
Marinade Ingredients (Curry Sauce)
Add a little oil to the pan and fry a combination of spices. You can use ground spices, whole spices or a combination. Whole spices should be toasted first for optimal flavor and fragrance.
- Turmeric powder
- Curry powder
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Ginger
- Salt & pepper
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Fennel
- Cardamom pods
- White grape vinegar
- Bay leaves
- Cooking oil, any
- Fresh chili (optional) 1 dried, deseeded chili
Onion Pickle
If you are cooking the onions, spices and liquid together in one pan then you can ignore this step.
- Cooking oil
- Onions sliced
- Peppercorns
- Gram masala
- Turmeric paste (if using, at the end of the recipe)
How To Make Pickled Fish
This is how I make pickled fish;
- Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, season it with salt and pepper (add a fish spice if you like but check the amount of salt) and then I fry it in a batter (flour and egg).
- Set up your dredging station where you going to fry the fish. A bowl with flour, another small bowl with beated the eggs, your dreding station is ready. You are going to dip the fish in the flour, shake off the excess and dip into the egg.
- Then you fry the fish, set it aside and prepare to fry. I like doing this days ahead it saves time on the day. Refrigerate the fried fish in an airtight container until you're ready to make the pickling sauce.
Pickling Process
Slice the onions into rings and fry. Then add the garlic, ginger, spices, curry powder, 1-2 cups of white vinegar and water. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
The pickling process involves frying the onions and spices which can be done in one of two ways:
- Fry seperately. The onions in one pan and the spices in another pan.
- Fry everything together.
Seperately: Start with the spices and a little water on medium heat and gradually add all the vinegar and water. This just means that when the sauce is ready you pour it into the onions. Both ways work.
My preference is cooking them sperate. It gives me more control on pulling the onions off the heat while still crunchy without worrying about the sauce consistency at the same time.
Add The Fish
Place fish one at a time into the sauce submerging them into the sauce. Taste for salt, pepper, vinegar, water and adjust.
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If you are using turmeric sauce, you add it in the last 5-10 minutes and you're done!
If you are using turmeric sauce, you add it in the last 5-10 minutes and you're done!
Recipe Notes
Turmeric paste: Although turmeric paste is optional in this recipe, it’s what differentiates the recipe from the orginal.
Whole spices: If you use whole spices instead of ground spices, then toast and grind them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Here are the ones to use: cardomon pods (4-6), coriander seeds, cumin (jeera) and fennel seeds.
Make-ahead: You can make the curry sauce days in advance and fry the fish one day before cooking the onions if you want to make this recipe ahead.
Spices: You can toast the spices in advance and store in an airtight container.
Sugar: To balance out the acididy, add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar. We are not sweet pickled fish fans but feel free to taste and adjust.
Vinegar: Be sure to buy grape vinegar and not spirit vinegar!
Cover The Fish: Make sure the fish is submerged as much as possible into the liquid when refrigerating, cover fish and only pickled fish should be one container.
Cooking oil: You'll need enough oil to fry the fish.
Storage
Use a pyrex dish or any other glass container when storing pickled fish.
Room temperature: Cover and refrigerate only when the fish is thoroughly cooled and at room temperature.
Airtight container: Store in a sealed pyrex or other glass container for 24 to 48 hours before serving. It will stay good in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Freeze: Freeze in a freezer safe container and thaw to reheat. Freeze up to 6 months.
Serving
Serve with warm hot cross buns and butter or any bread. Enjoy!
Need a recipe? The best Hot Cross Buns Recipe
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Pickled Fish Recipe
Ingredients
For Frying The Fish
- 1 kg Fish, fresh or frozen and thawed (hake or kingklip)
- ½ cup flour
- 4 eggs, beaten
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup cooking oil
For The Curry Sauce
- 2 Tbsps cooking oil, any
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 1 cup water + ¼ more if you need to adjust the taste
- 1 ½ cups white grape vinegar
- 1 chili, deseeded and chopped (optional)
Spices
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons curry powder, any mild curry powder
To Fry The Onion
- 4 onions
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon mild curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric spice powder (if not using the turmeric paste!)
- ¼ cup turmeric paste (if using, omit the above step)
- salt, pinch
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup water
Optional Ingredients
- 3 tbsps sugar
Instructions
Fry the fish
- Dry the fish using kitchen paper. Season with salt and pepper.1 kg Fish, fresh or frozen and thawed (hake or kingklip), salt and pepper
- In a skillet over medium-high heat add the oil. Dip the fish fillets into the flour and then the egg, shaking off the excess. Fry the fish till light golden brown, set aside on a plate and keep going until all the fish is fried. Don't overfill the pan, work in batches.½ cup flour, 4 eggs, beaten, ½ cup cooking oil
Curry Sauce
- Same pan, drain off some of the oil and fry the garlic, garlic, grated ginger and chili, mix together for a few seconds and then add all the ground spices (cumin, coriander, fennel, curry powder), bay leaves, salt, pepper and about ¼ cup of water, which will help prevent the spices from burning. Combine the spices and add the remaining water (about a cup) and all the vinegar. Simmer for 5 minutes and pour the curry sauce into a jug, set aside.2 Tbsps cooking oil, any, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tablespoon ginger, grated, 1 cup water + ¼ more if you need to adjust the taste, 1 ½ cups white grape vinegar, 1 chili, deseeded and chopped (optional), 1 teaspoon ground fennel, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons curry powder, any mild curry powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Now heat the oil in over medium to high heat. Fry the onion slices. Add a teaspoon of peppercorns, ½ teaspoon of mild curry powder, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric spice, a pinch of salt and garam masala. Mix into the onions and add a ½ cup of water to mix into the onion and spices.½ cup cooking oil, 4 onions, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, ½ teaspoon mild curry powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric spice powder (if not using the turmeric paste!), salt, pinch, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ½ cup water
- Pour the curry sauce over the onions. Drop the heat to a simmer, leave for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and add water if necessary. If you want to add vinegar, add a tablespooon at a time. If you find the taste too vinegary for you, then you would add the same amount in water. Add sugar to balance the acidity out, approx, 2-3 tablespoons, taste and adjust. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.3 tbsps sugar
- Pour turmeric paste (if using) over the fish scoop some liquid over the fish incorpotating the turmeric. Give it 4-5 minutes then remove from the stove and cool.¼ cup turmeric paste (if using, omit the above step)
- Cover and refrigerate only when the fish is thoroughly cooled at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for 24 hours up to 4 days.
- Serve with warm hot cross buns and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Louise says
I have not made this yet; but 500kilograms of fish??
Miranda's Anosmic Kitchen says
Hi Louise, thank you for visiting my blog and reading the recipe, I love that you did that and appreciate even more that you've notified me of 500kg! I've since changed it to 500grams not kilograms, thanks again and happy cooking. Miranda xoxo