Yakabout - Pickled fish

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Pickled fish

Thursday, 29 May 2008

Up until last weekend, all of the tailor I have caught from St Georges Basin have been little choppers and very few had been worth keeping. I always knew the bigger ones were there because not only have I seen them jumping, I've been bitten off by a couple. I'm starting to suspect that the bigger ones hang around in a different location from the juveniles (where I caught this one), which is also where I've been bitten off before. I'll be spending this weekend trying to prove that theory to myself.

From this...

As you can imagine I was pretty happy when I caught this fish but for a moment I considered putting it back, simply because my freezer didn't have enough room in it and no way could I eat it all that night. Then I remembered a recipe shown to me by Astro while I passed through Mackay last year. Pickled fish! Here's how I did it:

...to this

Mixed 150ml distilled white vinegar with 150ml apple cider vinegar, added 100ml of olive oil, added 1 finely chopped red hot chilly, added 1 crushed clove of garlic and stirred. Then simply add the fish, place in fridge and wait for at least an hour. So simple.

I found that the taste was slightly better the next day, so I think a bit more fridge time (than 1 hour) is the go. Doing a bit of a look around google, I can expect the fish to be preserved for about four weeks. Not that I expect it to last that long - I finished off one of these jars in just 2 days (the one fish filled 2 old pickle jars).

This recipe is excellent for fish that you would otherwise take or leave. You know... those species that don't make your mouth water at the very thought of them. Astro's example was Mackeral, and trust me, it's nicer pickled. It also works really well for tailor. Trevally is another fish I'd happily do this to, as is Aussie salmon. Oh yes... kingies to. But doing this to say, coral trout, it probably sacrilage.