Pickled Whitefish
Here is how I pickle whitefish that I catch on Green Bay. This pickled whitefish recipe is meant as a ratio based on the amount of fish you are pickling. Make enough of each solution for the amount of fish you have. I always make extra so I don't have to make more.
Yield: 1 Lb of Fish
Equipment
- 1 Brining Bucket ($5 Food Grade pale from Home Depot works great)
Materials
Main Ingredients (Get enough vegtables for the number of jars you want to fill)
- 1 lb Fresh Caught Whitefish in 1" Cubes (Pike would probably be good as well)
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 1 Jalepeno Pepper
- 1 Red Onion
- 4 cloves Fresh Garlic (Peeled)
- 1 Cucumber (Optional)
Salt Brine (Make enough to cover fish well in brine bucket – let rest 24 hours)
- 1 Cup Kosher Salt
- 4 Cups Water
Vinegar Bath (Pour over fish in brine bucket until well covered – let rest 24 hours)
- 1 Gallon White Distilled Vinegar (Unused can be saved for making Pickling Solution)
Pickling Solution (Make enough for all jars, you don't want to have to make more in the moment – make solution the day you start vinegar bath)
- 2 Cups White Distilled Vinegar
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Sprite
- 1/4 Cup White Wine
- 3 Tbsp Pickling Spice
- 4 Bay Leaves
Instructions
Day 1:
- Cube your fish into 1" cubes1 lb Fresh Caught Whitefish in 1" Cubes
- Mix salt and water to create your brine mixture at a ratio of 4 cups of water and 1 cup of Kosher salt per pound of fish (Heat a portion of water with the salt to dissolve it faster, but make sure your brine is cooled before you put the fish in it)4 Cups Water, 1 Cup Kosher Salt
- Cover the fish cubes in this solution, and let it rest for 24 hours. Keep it cool in your fridge, or garage if you live in a cold climate
Day 2:
- After your fish has brined for 24 hours, rinse the fish and put back in your brine bucket. Cover the fish with white vinegar and let it sit for another 24 hours1 Gallon White Distilled Vinegar
- Make your brine solution 24 hours in advance so you can cool it and be ready for putting your fish in jars tomorrow.
- The brine solution is 2 parts vinegar to 1 part sugar. Make plenty of brine to fully cover your fish. You don't want to need more brine later. Add sprite, white wine, and pickling spice. This is more of an eyeball maneuver.2 Cups White Distilled Vinegar, 1 Cup Sugar, 1/2 Cup Sprite, 1/4 Cup White Wine, 3 Tbsp Pickling Spice, 4 Bay Leaves
Day 3:
- Remove fish from vinegar and rinse with cold water
- Cut your vegetables into bite size pieces2 Bell Peppers, 1 Jalepeno Pepper, 1 Red Onion, 4 cloves Fresh Garlic (Peeled), 1 Cucumber
- Jar your fish and cover with brine solution
- Place in fridge and let rest for a minimum of 5 days
Day 8:
- Enjoy your pickled fish with friends, it should last roughly 2 months (If you eat it quickly, you don't have to worry about when it has gone bad :D)
Video
Notes
This is a pickled whitefish recipe that I have tweaked over the years and it derives from Pickled Pike recipes. I have done it with the pin bones removed (as in my video) and with the pin bones in. The vinegar does dissolve the bones.
If you are pickling a bone in fish, I suggest to wait 8 days before tasting, and just make sure the bones are dissolved before you go crazy eating it.
*Some people will freeze their fish before pickling* to make sure parasites are killed. I don’t do that with whitefish since it gets soft after freezing, but technically I am taking a risk of getting parasites in that case. These lake Michigan whitefish are pretty clean… I think.
*I also do not know of the health risks of eating fish this way*, but it is a recipe with norsk heritage and similar to how we would pickle pike growing up. I really liked the red onion, bell pepper, and Japaleno pickled as well. The cucumber had pickled taste, but no flavor of its own… So do with that as you will.
Good luck!
Zach
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