Pickled Fish or Ingelegde Vis is thought to have originated from Cape Malay Cooking as a way to preserve fresh fish at the early Cape colony. It was only much later that the aromatic dish became a staple food at Easter time, perhaps chosen for its ability to stay fresh over the long Easter weekend. Whilst pickled fish is closely linked to Cape Town, it is a much-loved dish, enjoyed by both Muslims and Christians.

Pickled fish is a sweet and sour dish which is traditionally eaten over Easter time. This is a very tasty way of preparing fish and can be cooked in advance. The flavour improves with time and stays fresh for up to two weeks in the refrigerator . Here I have used yellow tail to make this pickled fish. You may use snoek or any other firm fish. Best eaten cold. My kids tend to warm it slightly in the microwave!

Ingredients:
1kg snoek or any firm fish cut into large slices

Salt and pepper for seasoning
1 cup  brown vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 large onions, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander / koljana
1 tsp ground cumin / jeera
1/2 tsp turmeric /borrie

1 tsp crushed chillies
1/4 tsp dry ginger
1 tsp curry spice
5 bay leaves

Follow my Youtube tutorial for the method https://youtu.be/YT6aOpM9pwU

You can still get my Children’s Cookbook for only R99, limited stock available.