Pickled Pike

[Barleydog]

PICKLED PIKE

Ingredients:
   4 to 5 lbs. Pike filleted Y-boned or non Y-boned
    1 Cup canning salt
    White vinegar
    3 cups sugar
    1 cup white wine
    1/2 cup mixed pickling spice
    Onion (sliced)
 
Cut filleted fish into 1'' to 2'' pieces.  Using a crock porcelain or glass container, mix brine of 1 cup canning salt to 2 quarts water (or strong enough to float an egg).  Soak fish pieces for 48 hours- stir after 24 hours.  Drain and discard brine.  Rinse fish and return to container.  Cover fish with white vinegar for another 24 hours drain and discard vinegar.  Make pickling solution of 4 cups white vinegar and 3 cups sugar.  Heat enough to dissolve sugar.  Cool solution in refrigerator a few hours or until cold.  Add 1 cup white wine and 1/2 cup of mixed picking spices.  Layer fish in jars with sliced onions in between.  Cover fish with pickling solution and seal.  Refrigerate at least 1 week.  Enjoy!

If you leave the Y-bones in the fish, let them sit in the solution maybe 3 weeks or more.  This will allow the pickling solution to soften the bones.  I would take some of the cloves out of standard pickling spice bought at the store.  To many cloves can be toooo strong for the solution.  -Barleydog

[dachmation]

Hey Barleydog:

Is it 1/2 cup pickling spices as in your list of ingredients or 1/3 cup as in the text. Just interested.
Mike

[rgfixit]

Barleydog,
I use a similar recipe to pickle my fish.

I put my pickling spices in small cheese cloth wrappings an put one in each jar.

Not being a big fan of cloves, I mix my own spices for pickling as follows; ( I don't measure...you're on your own)

cracked peppercorns
mustard seed
coriander seed
dill seed
dried chilis
allspice
ginger
cinnamon
bay leaves
cardamon

I also add 2 or 3 whole garlic cloves to each jar.

This recipe is very good for perch and bass.

Try 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 brown sugar for the final pack...mmmmmmmmm!

RG

[Barleydog]

Dachmation,  Sorry!!  It is a 1/2 cup and I did correct the text, thanks.

RG- Love the addition of garlic and chilies!  I have used fresh dill seed which is another spice I limit along with cloves due to it's ability to "over-power" the solution.  

[dogfish]

Hey now this sounds good.  I gots a question tho.  I take it you brine the fish raw (uncooked).  Do you seal in a boiling water bath?  If so how long do you boil in the canner?

[Barleydog]

Dogfish,
Most pickled fish are "raw", but in fact the pike is "cooked" in the pickling solution.  Canning will only cook the fish and basically ruin the flavor.  I have never had a jar of pickled pike around long enough to can, however, you can freeze the mixture.  Make sure you allow for expansion with plenty of headspace in your container!

[evanrose]

can I use pickerel?  What other fish can substitute for pike?

Evan

[Barleydog]

Evan,  Pickerel will work.  Same as Pike just smaller.  I have only pickeled pike and herring with this method, but I'm sure most firm fleshed fish would work.

[backwoodswalker]

Barleydog;
Thanks for the recipe. This is delicious. I think this is the best way to keep your pike for the summer. A jar of this and a box of ritz crackers and beverage of choice (as long as bottle is brown   ) and you are in heaven.

[bigfish57]

sorry just to clarify...there is no need to cook the fish? Just put it in the solution raw?

[Barleydog]

Yes, the solution cooks the meat.  Don't worry it's o.k.

[buzzbomb]

I've done pike, walleye, and burbot like that and they're all good.  Putting the pickling spice in a bag keeps it from getting murky, and I add slices of onion and red pepper and a litte extra crushed chilies just like for pickled eggs.  Up here a lot of people can their pike, cooking it in jars in a canner or pressure canner with a spoon of oil and a dash of ketchup.  It comes out sort of like salmon, and the y-bones disappear.  Burbot can be done the same way (with or without the ketchup, and it's good too).  Maybe a little more like tuna.

[trapdaddy21]

i use a similar recipe for panfish, i really like to put crappies and gill filets in a pickeling recipe similar to this. excellent tailgating food!


           Go Packers!!!!  

[tarbot]

sounds like your a good Sweed!  Nothing beats good inlagd sill!!!!

[buzzbomb]

You just set the jar on the bar with a fork and some napkins!  The people who like it will love you, and the weaklings who don't will make faces and say "Eeeewwww"

[buzzbomb]

Because the fish I've pickeled is usually in chunks, that's how it's served, but I guess if you were doing perch filets, or some other type that was in strips, you could wrap them around a piece of pickle.  Then it would be like herring 'rollmops'.

[backwoodswalker]

I like mine with ritz crackers and beer

[Knife2sharp]

My 'Y' bones disappear and it doesn't take 3 weeks, just 12-24 hours in vinegar.   My recipe is almost identical to the original one posted, but after I let the vinegar and sugar cool, I add the pickling spice along with "Thunderbird" wine or "Silver Satin," and I bring it back to a bool to release the flavor from the spices.  Then I let it cool again before pooring it into the jars with the fish.   

[savedsinah]

You can pickle all the different kinds of fish you get in a day together.  Just clean it all, and bone it.
Chop it into small pieces (about a 1/2 inch or less);Then follow any of the preceding recipes.
I like to boil the mix. I then add it to the fish in mason jars with fresh halved garlic cloves and chilis after straining it. The spanish use lemon juice and call it ceviche.
I made it with pickeral, perch, gill, sunny, and crappy. The big mason it was in was empty before halftime, along with a whole box of crackers.

[Fish-A-Holic]

I also use the original posted recipe. Instead of adding wine thou, I add 1 cup of dryed vermouth. I made 6 gallons of pickled northern for Christmas and last week on the ice we cleaned up the last jar.

[FishingBadgerMan]

Hello-
   this is my first time pickleing pike. I don't know how to get y bones out so what solution do i need to let the pike sit in for 3 weeks to soften the bones. i don't want to mess this up, if you could help i would appreciate it.

thanks

FishingBadgerMan

[Barleydog]

BFM,
You let it pickle in the last step for 3 weeks.  After the wine, spices and such.  It's best left alone in the fridge to "soften" up the Y bones.   

[billybono]

ill let ya know in 3 weeks how it is.....just canned up some pickeral last night


                    billybono

[buzzbomb]

It'll be fine, the bones just disolve.

[Fire~n~Ice]

I agree..I use a very similar recipe except I mix my own pickling spices and add chopped garlic and onion. I also have to say that the "y" bones are taken care of within 24 hours (at least for pickeral).

[billybono]

I agree..I use a very similar recipe except I mix my own pickling spices and add chopped garlic and onion. I also have to say that the "y" bones are taken care of within 24 hours (at least for pickeral).

yep the pickeral i did was ready in a week total


                  billybono

[amazinmoose]

I pickled some trout/salmon all in one jar, its been in the frige now for about 2 weeks... the trout has the "cooked" look to it, the salmon have ever does not. anyone have this happen to them!?     its my first batch of pickled fish..  -moose

[Barleydog]

Moose,
Try thinner strips of meat.  That will allow better penetration of the pickling solution.  The longer it's left in the fridge, the more "pickled" it'll get.

[amazinmoose]

Thanks dog, will have to try that next time around...   tried some yesterday firt time, it was good and yes im addicted!!  -moose

[bwalleye]

OH MY GOSH!  My pickerel has finished pickling.  IT IS AWESOME!  My wife got into it last night while I was at work--said she just couldn't wait any longer.  When I got home from work this morning, I had a nice snack Thank you so much Barleydog for sharing recipe.