Pickled Northern
- 1 fillet Northern, de-boned and cut into pieces.
- 1/3 Cup salt
- 500ml water
- 750ml cider vinegar
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 small onion
- peel of one orange
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1 Tablespoon toasted coriander seeds
- 1 Tablespoon toasted fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon star Annis
- 1 Thai chili
Make a brine by combining the salt and water. If you are using Kosher salt, you will have to heat the water and the salt together. Chill the liquid and pour over the fish. Let sit in the fridge for 3 hours. After 3 hours, remove the fish from the brine and rinse well. Place the fish in sterilized jars.
Heat all of the remaining ingredients in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes and then chill in the fridge. Pour the pickling liquid into the jars with the fish, making sure some of the onion, orange peel and seeds are in there as well. Screw the tops onto the jars and let the fish sit in the fridge for at least 3 days. The fish will be perfect after a week and will be good to eat for a month or more.
Serve it as a snack with bread and something creamy (yogurt, sour cream) and crunchy (pumpkin seeds, fried shallots…), or add to a salad. The other day I served it as an hors doeuvres on a polenta cake with radishes. Very tasty.
