Looking a delicious pickled fish recipe? There is no need to dip the raw fish pieces in whisked egg as the flour sticks well to the fish without the egg. Generally dipping it in the egg and flour creates a pasty coat, making it heavy. You can grill the fish instead of frying it – just make sure it’s fresh so that it does not break and crumble in the pan.’ – Siba
INGREDIENTS
For the spice mix
- 1 tsp coriander seeds (or ground coriander)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin) 8 whole cloves (or about 1⁄2 teaspoon ground)
- 2 tsp good-quality mild curry powder 1 tsp turmeric
- 1⁄2 tsp all spice
- 1 tsp flaked salt
For the pickled, curried onions
- 45 ml virgin olive oil (or canola or sunflower oil)
- 3 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced into rounds
- 2 tbsp spice mix (from above)
- 1 large red pepper, cut into rounds
- 4 cloves garlic, finely crushed
- 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 500 ml white spirit vinegar
- 1⁄2 cup white or brown sugar
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
For the fish
- 1.5–2 kg deboned hake, cut into large pieces (or any other white fish)
- 1 cup wheat cake flour
- 1 tbsp flaked sea salt
- 1 tbsp fish seasoning or barbeque sauce
- 1 tsp paprika80 ml sunflower or canola oil, to fry
ALSO SEE MISO AND GINGER RECIPE
METHOD
For the spice mix
1. Grind everything together using a pestle and mortar until fine. You can use a coffee grinder if you don’t have a pestle and motor or use alreadygrounded spices. Set aside.
For the pickled, curried onions
1. In a large pan, heat the oil until hot and sauté the onions until soft. This takes 5–8 minutes.
2. Add the spice mix and cook for 30 seconds. Add half the garlic and ginger and the red pepper slices, if using.
3. Add in the vinegar and sugar, along with the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and stir. Bring to the boil and simmer over medium heat for 15–20 minutes. Set aside once done.
For the fish
1. Pat dry the fish. Mix the flour with the spices and salt to season it. Make sure you have enough salt as that is the only seasoning going into the fish.
2. Heat the oil in a pan until hot and fry 6 pieces or so at a time. It takes about 4 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
3. To assemble, place the fish in a serving dish in a layer, top with the pickled onion and its liquid. Continue layering. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving. However, it’s best made a day ahead of serving it and can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
Prep time 15 min | Cooking time 45 min | Serves 4+
ALSO SEE SIBA’S MTONGANA’S HOT-CROSS BUNS
