I've been pickling fish for many years. I love it! Perch, bluegill, walleye, bass, pickerel all taste great. Can't imagine why pike wouldn't be just as good. Crappie are too soft it seems. They don't hold up well to the process.
First and foremost, use only thoroughly frozen fish. Parasites are a real consideration.
I don't use any ratio of salt to water for my brine. I simply dissolve enough non- iodized salt in the amount of water I'm using to float an egg. Don't use tap water. It'll give the fish a mineral taste. Distilled water is fine. I collect mine from my dehumidifier, boil it and cool it in the fridge.
Remove the lateral line from the fillets and chunk up the fish.
Soak in the brine mixture over night in the fridge.
Pickling solution:
3 cups white vinegar.....5% acidity
1 cup semi sweet white wine"
1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar ( depending on how sweet you want it to be)
2 tbs pickling spices
Bring the solution to a boil in a non-reactive pot stirring to desolve the sugar.
Allow the solution to cool completely.
Strain the pickling spices from the solution.
Drain and rinse the fish in cold water.
Layer the fish and chopped onion LOOSELY in glass jars. (Can't believe that guy in the video used plastic.......schmuck!)
Cover completely with the pickling solution.
With a chopstick, poke around in the jar to release any trapped air bubbles.
Refrigerate!
Wait a few days if you can stand it. I usually do a "taste test" after a day or so.
There's two jars .....well......a jar and a half
of pickled perch in my fridge right now and a bowl of perch in brine since last night. I always make extra pickling solution and just keep it in the fridge.
This delicacy should be consumed within a month.......like it will last that long.
Enjoy!
Rg