Pickled Fish on the Way

Got some fillets of Trout and Walleye out to thaw yesterday to make some pickled fish.

Got them sliced and cut up for bite size pieces. Put the fish into the pickle soak today to let it start to work its magic. Will be able to add some other goodies to the batch by the weekend. Pictures to follow.



Fresh frozen trout and walleye thawing.



Prepping the fillets for the pickle



Walleye fillets looking good.



Trout fillets ready to fill in the volume.



Fillets placed into the pickle bath then a brisk wash them around.



Capped and ready to pickle in the Fridge.

you been in the lure shed too long.

Bob you inspired me to thaw out the last of crappie fillets I had in the freezer. I got them on step one today too (they look terrible, lol. but they will be very firm bright white in 5 days, and ready for step two) ...

I do love some pickled herring from time to time!!

I love pickled fish.

got a batch almost done , started 3/26 for it's 5 day soak I realized last night I didn't have any white onions and it had started in the bring at 9:30pm so I gave it another day in the brine and did it tonight it went into the sugar , vinegar , wine ,pickling spice tonight.

I will give it a try Saturday and see how it is this was 3 suckers made a little more than a quart

I have another batch of a dozen suckers then another with 29 suckers this was just ball pickling spice I can see figuring out my own pickling spice

Nice fellas! I also love me some pickled fish. Herring, salmon, and black cod are what I usually put up. I don’t have fish on hand to work with though.

Has anyone pickled the flying asian carp?

Best stuff in the world made from hammer handle northern!! I dont even debone them the vinegar will do them in.

Greencountypete do you have some special flavor ingredients in your brine. Kind of looks like some things I see in little piles laying around my yard. Are you holding back on us with your pickling spice recipe.?

Jayme are you adding Mountain Dew as a substitute for the wine. What are you going to do with your final brine. I am thinking of adding another cup of sugar and one less cup of vinegar to sweeten the batch. I don't want them too tart.

How long will these pickled fish hold up in the fridge? I was thinking about putting some in quart canning jars to keep for later. Will they hold up without spoiling in the cellar after they are transferred.

Is this mainly just for coon or will other predators be attracted?

Oh my no. These aren't for coon bait they are for snack food. I can't speak for others though.

Looks great guys , I made up 4 pints at the start of winter and its been gone for a long time now LOL , I need to get after the spring pike and make more

I have some in the brine now also. Let sit for 5 to 6 days then put in jars and add the pickle mix and set for 24 to 48 hours then the fun to begin to eat . Went out fishing for some suckers yesterday only caught one . let it go till there is more of them.The ones I got in brine was in the freezer.

I’m planning on trying them pickled. I pressure can them all the time.

Used to just mix in the jars with common Carp but actually prefer 100% silvers (Jumpers). They look much brighter and whiter in the jar. I think they will make great pickled fish. They won’t be jumping on our river till the water warms up a bit.

YUM, I'd eat all the above.
Old feller named Weber used to give me a jar of canned smelt every year.
I miss him.
I should try it with stocked trout, they're about the same size lol.

You got that right!

I don't think I could pickle walleye. It would be in a cast iron pan frying before it could hit a jar. LOL But I do like my pickled fish anytime of the year.

pcr2 I needed a break from the lure facility so I decided to get some fish out and make some front porch swing snacks.

Wright Brothers not sure where you live from our location but I would be glad to give you a jar of our fresh made pickle fish when it is done next week. Don't know if you have been to our facility or not, can give you a tour if you stop by.

Happy Birthday Bob

this was a small batch 6 cups sugar cause I heard more sugar was better 5 cups white vinegar 2 cups Reiesling wine 1/2 container of ball pickling spice , I get to try it Saturday so I will adjust before my next batch of a dozen sucker then the next batch after that is 29 sucker

i felt very small Y-bones when I was cutting them up but feeling the fillets after 5 days in brine I do not feel the bones any more
final test of that Saturday

Hey Bob you'll have to let us know where your fishing hole is, let us know how it taste when it's ready.

Its looking better every day John. I hope the final brine will do the trick in giving it a good flavor without too much tartness. The fish is taking on a real nice look of bleached fish already.

Pickled trout I have never tried. I loved pickled fish and make 2 - 3 gallons a year when the fishing season opens and make it with a bunch of smaller northern pike.

Fish are biting so if this batch don't turn out I'll be able to try again. lol

ADC those crappie should make some fine eating. Not many places close here to get a mess of them. Let us know how your final brine adjustment works on the flavor.

the problem with crappies is I would have to beat the wife and kids off of the fillets from beer battering and frying them to try them pickled and well I would be right there with a fresh mix of beer batter and a skillet of hot peanut oil frying them up.

suckers and carp I haven't tried battering besides the little Y bones I am almost afraid to for fear I will be making them all the time. We like frying big northern and fresh water drum. My wife says Drum are like catfish fried.

when there is a slow fishing day on lake Michigan we will take my dads boat and troll up and down the river in and out the mouth of the harbor and pick up a few Drum/Sheepshead on small spoons. no one else wants them , thats ok the secret is they are really good eating. I just tell them it's an acquired taste so they can keep thinking their salmon is the best fish ever.

When we fish in the summer we usually catch pike, walleye and yellow perch. Sometimes you do not catch the preceding any how in lake huron you will catch sheephead and catfish no matter what "my experience" and a few years back we tried the grinding the drum and making fish patties. The grandkids would rather eat the drum fish patties than the walleye and perch.

Oh and Happy Birthday Bob

I sure will.



We do that too, but they are pretty easy to come by around here this time of the year. That bucketful my boy and I caught in about 2 hours yesterday afternoon.

Wanting to try this can you put full recipe on here.I have the fish just need step by step.

All participating in these baking and food prep activities will be needing to join weight watchers soon if this continues as a trend. Patrice started this. So if it comes to that we can always tell our advisor who is to blame.

Maybe we can get a group rate.

I couldn't wait any longer and I tried it


it is GOOD

if you like Noon Hour you are going to love this sweeter with more flavor

this batch was 6 cups sugar 5 cups vinegar 2 cups wine I used Riesling and half of a 1.8oz bottle of Ball pickling spice. I am packing about 50/50 white onions to fish I like pickled onions as well as the fish.

I did mine with sucker , makes me wonder if they are using Sucker at the commercial pickling places I could not tell the difference from looking at it . if anything the sucker is more firm, white and firm and flavorful no fishy taste at all.

I deviated some from how the video does it , I saw no reason for the ice , other than a house boat probably doesn't have the cold water on board that runs out of my tap.

I made the final pickling mix the night before what was really my 5th night then I put it together the 6th day allowing the pickling mix to cool in a covered container on my counter.

Pickled Sucker is GOOD. it's been 8 days since I started the first batch with 3 suckers. it made a little more than a quart depending on size 5-6 fish would be good for a half gallon jars worth .
5-6 suckers
1 1/2 cups salt aprox.
a gallon jug of white vinegar
a 1/2 gallon or gallon jar


fillet and skin the Suckers , rinse and soak and rinse getting the blood out you will know when the water in your soak bucket isn't bloody any more then give a final rinse.

make cracker sized pieces of fish fillets and layer the fillet pieces with salt fish salt fish till the jar or container is about 1/2 full , fill with white vinegar. shake so that it is all in suspension. date the jar and store in fridge.

Every day for 5 days shake the jar making sure to get it all in suspension. you need there to be vinegar and salt solution all around every fillet piece. this is what chemically cooks the fish , what pickles it 6 days wont hurt a thing but make sure you go at least 5.


the final pickling solution on your your 5th day make the wine & pickling solution.
6 cups sugar
5 cups white vinegar
2 cups white wine I used Riesling
3-4 table spoons of pickling spice ( I used 1/2 of a 1.8oz jar of Ball pickling spice )


white onions (at packing)

bring that to a simmer your making a syrup while that sugar doesn't seem like it will dissolve it does very well under a little heat simmer 5 minutes, then place a container to cool to room temp or fridge.

Rinse the fish in a colander washing the salt brine off. Cold water only.

When rinsed pack fish onions fish onions in layers I like about 50/50 but if you like fewer onions pack fewer onions.

when packed 2/3 to 3/4 full , fill with the cooled picking solution and seal up the jars.

3 days in the fridge to let it soak up the flavor.

Then it is ready to serve.

You guys have motivated me to go spear some suckers tonight. My wife canned some a few weeks ago. I've done the pickled pike but never sucker. We'll see how it turns out. Thank you.

I will admit I was a little worried about the tiny Y bones but could not tell they were in there in the pieces I tried today

End of the line for the pickle period today. Started the batch on April 1st. Rinsed and chilled the fish then put in the fridge to cool a bit more. Mixed up the final brine. I altered the recipe that is commonly used to suit my personal taste.

8 cups sugar
5 cups vinegar
1 cup Red wine
3 oz. or so of pickling spice

Heated and now chilling. Cut up 3 plump vidalia onions sliced pretty thick. I like the onions real well. My brine came out a nice burgundy color with great flavor at least for my taste buds. I didn't want a real tart fish flavor.

Just about ready to begin layering the fish and onions shortly.

what it taste like? never had pickled fish. how do you eat it once you take out of the jar?

I like mine with some cubed or stick cheese of your choice with some crackers and your favorite beverage. I haven't had any of this batch yet. I made this batch to be a little more sweet/tart in flavor.

I have just eaten them just from the jar also many times as a side to my dinner.

I wish I could taste your final brine for the fish Bob. You really upped the sugar, which it needed IMO, but I wonder if you can get it too sweet? How sweet is it on a scale of 1-10? I'll be doing mine later today or in the morning too. I'm using red onions and omitting the wine cause I don't have any and I don't think the 1/3 cup he recommended would really do anything anyway. I'll get the red color from the onions.

So you dont cook the fish at all just dump it in the solution and once you take it out you got flavored susi..?

I just made up 3 qts. and I put slice onions in the mix. I put my sucker fish in a brim of vinegar and salt , after 5 to 6 days I wash it out in clear water and then let it soak for 8 hours and had my mix made yesterday and then put in jars with a layer of onions for each one. and then put the mix in and now is in the fridge to sit now.

It's pickled. (preserved in vinegar or brine)

BuckMink you initially soak the cut up fish in a vinegar and salt brine for 5 days. This will cure, preserve and firm the fish.

The finished brine you see my batch soaking in consists of the recipe I listed above. This is a new batch so I am hoping the adjusted recipe will sweeten the overall flavor a bit.

Here is my final pickle bath going into the fridge for a few days.

mhmm interesting... how strong is the fish smell when your eating it? is it one of those you love or hate? You eat the onions as well i assume... if you make it into a dish to serve what goes well with it?

Almost no fishy taste. Its more of a snack item, not a meal. Like pickles, and pickled eggs. And yes you either like them or can't get over the thought of it.

I made my brine 5 c. / Vinegar 8 c. sugar as well after taste testing it throughout the process. It seems just right.

What do you suppose pickled bass is like? lol

Could have had 40+ suckers today for you.

... now we wait.

Those Bass are awesome Jayme!

So you made this batch of fish with the extra sugar?

I won't be going an sweeter than my 5 cusp vinegar 6 cups sugar 2 cups wine, but I don't like overly sweet things.


you mean , crackers , cheese , pickled fish and beer don't make a meal?

had eggs for breakfast , pickled fish and beer for lunch , black eyed peas for supper.

He caught over a dozen from 2.5-5 lbs ea. in about an hour, lots of fun!

Yes much more sugar/vinegar. 5 c. vinegar - 8 c. sugar. Coincidentally a very similar ratio as we use for lime water sweet pickles. Still made plenty of brine for a gallon of fish/onions.

... and sleeping in the garage tonight if you're married!

That would of made alot , I would of store what I did not use right away in the freezer till I was ready . I did went out last Monday to get some but just got one. So I let it go. Need to go back out to hope with it warm up some they will bite better .

Those hog bass should make some good pickled fish Jayme and your batch looks like mine. Lots of onions. I think I will mix my Vadalia onions with some red onions on the next batch.

I sampled my brine when mixing like you and it seemed ok to me. But I like it better on the sweet pickle side personally. If this batch flavor doesn't turn out as I like I will adjust the next one a little.

I shook my pickle mix this morning early. I guess I have another day to wait before sampling any.

Don't know why your pickle spice and greencountypetes look like you have rabbit turds in it. Mine doesn't have those large pieces. Are those pepper corns? Mine just have small round Milo looking spice balls and some flakes in it. I hope that wont affect my flavor by not having those.

I spoke too soon, I shook my brine a little bit to mix the spices better and it must have released the pepper corns from hiding as they are now visible in some spots in the brine. So all is good.

almost 20 years one of the tools to a successful marriage is separate bedrooms that took 10 years to figure out , she can be around when she wants and sleep alone when she wants , I also sleep much better with out the elbow every time I snore / breath.

I also have on-call shifts for work and get randomly woken to solve an issue anytime anything breaks better she gets to sleep through all that.

she is also not a morning person so I can let her sleep and get up and get coffee going start chores and such , she likes to read till late and I am a out the second my head hits the pillow person.

but her mother though for sure we were getting a divorce when we went to separate beds, there is a lesson for the young folks , whatever makes your marriage work don't worry about other peoples ideas of how it should be. Marriage is you , her and your god , don't worry about the MIL thinks.

funny thing is more and more doctors and shrinks are recommending separate beds and or bedrooms getting good sleep makes everything a little easier.

pickled fish and marriage help all brought to you by T-man.

You can see where its rose off the bottom, in the video he says to eat it once it sinks and no need to agitate it once its in the final brine, that's what I did last time and it turned out right, just too tart. I think this batch will be much better.

Bob, I used Ball pickling spice, about 3/4 of the bottle.

GCP - My wife and I sleep in the same bed as we have for bout 26 years now, couldn't be happier. I'll admit we sleep better now than the first 6 years since I've had my CPAP machine so I don't snore.

I am going to admit I wasn't super keen on the idea at first , but a week on my camping cot in the living room about 2009 changed my mind , I slept good but I wanted my bed back so I turned my office into a bedroom and moved my office to the basement , bought her a twin xl and got my bed back

everyone has to find what works for them. My wife needs to sleep on her schedule or she is irritable. this just works better for us

This is the beginning day 1 of final brine pickle. Everything is packed tightly.




This is near the end of day 2 in the final brine. Batch is floating.



So we must wait until it all sinks to the bottom before eating.? I am getting anxious to jump in.

Kind of like your first date. Are you getting to first base,hitting a home run or striking out..

I am wondering if fish left in the original pickling brine will last longer then can be moved into final brine solution a week or so out from eating it ?

I have more to get in final brine this week.

you can eat it any time safely after the initial 5 day brine. that is what cures the meat but sinking lets you know it has taken on max load of the final brine when it sinks

That's what I think too.

Good safety measure

What about other vegetables, like cauliflower, carrots, or celery? Have any of you guys ever tried that?

I am going to try making this this week. I appreciate you guys sharing the recipe.

Jayme I took my first sample early this morning of my final batch of pickled fish. It came out just about perfect for me. I am sure you will find out the same when you taste your batch. That stuff can be addicting. NO tart flavor at all. Just a little after taste tang which I wanted. Sweet and mild even the onions.

Waz said
What about other vegetables, like cauliflower, carrots, or celery? Have any of you guys ever tried that?
I do pickled peppers every year.
Acidic from the vinegar makes it safe for hot pack but since I bought a pressure canner everything goes that way.
Deer hearts pretty good too.
Recipes were passed down and I'd need a woman here to type it out correct.

Bob, want to trade a pint of peppers for a pint of that fish?
You ship first so I can see how the Pro packs for shipping lol. Mine are in glass canning pints.
I should of thought that earlier. PM me if interested.

Couldn't wait huh? lol Thanks for the update. I hope mine is like that as well, no reason it shouldn't be.

Bob

Thanks for the delivery today. This pickled fish is awesome, I'll have to try and make some once the Ohio fish nazis open license sales back up to non residents. Oh and my dad liked it too.

It turned out great like yours Bob.

Looks pretty too with the red onions I think...

That looks yummy Jayme just like a gourmet bowl full. How did those red onions taste? I used Vidalia onions as I prefer a more sweet onion. May try those reds next batch.

My pickled fish is just about gone. I need to get some fish to start another batch.

Onions were sweet and very mild. I think after the pickling any onion would taste about the same. You could use some of each. That's the first bowl out of my gallon. I wish I had someone to share with, lol.