Cape Malay Pickled Fish

This ancient Cape Malay pickled fish recipe has traditionally been passed down from generation to generation and the variations of the recipe is staggering. This is my take on this classic dish that is usually eaten around Easter but can be enjoyed at any time of the year.

This Cape Malay pickled fish relies heavily on aromatic spices to give it its unique and enticing flavour. I have used garam masala, curry powder, coriander, tumeric and black pepper in my mix

Pickled fish is generally cooked in large batches and then refrigerated to be eaten over many weeks. Traditionally the pickled fish wouldn’t have been refrigerated and would be preserved with the large amounts of vinegar used in the cooking process.

Any firm fish can be used such as hake or kingklip. Because we live in Spain I use salted fresh cod that I rinse under cold running water before leaving it to drain of all excess moisture. The recipe is pretty simple and consists mainly of the fried onion, spices, vinegar and fish. The flavour though is spectacular and can be served alongside salads, fresh bread or even this naan fish tacos I made.

Cape Malay Pickled Fish

(17 votes, average: 3.94 out of 5)
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3.9 from 17 reviews

This is my take on this classic Cape Malay pickled fish recipe that is usually eaten around Easter but can be enjoyed at any time of the year.

• Author: Daryl

Ingredients

1 kg firm white fish (kingklip, hake or cod) cut into large portions

30 ml olive oil

2 Spanish onions, finely diced

1 medium piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, minced

2.5 ml fennel seeds, crushed

5 ml whole coriander seeds, crushed

5 ml garam masala

10 ml ground turmeric

15 ml curry powder

5 ml salt

45 ml sugar

3 bay leaves

375 ml white wine vinegar

300 ml water

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onions until soft and translucent.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for  2 to 3 minutes.

Add all the spices and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the salt, sugar, vinegar, bay leaves and water and simmer for 20 minutes.

Place the fish carefully in the pan and spoon the sauce over the fillets.

Cover and Simmer for 20 minutes until cooked through.

Lift the fish from the pan with a spatula and place in a non-metallic dish.

Continue reducing the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon

Pour the sauce over the fish and cover.

Ideally chill for 2-3 days before consuming

Serve the pickled fish at room temperature with salad or crusty bread

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