Curried Pickled Fish, Old Traditional South African Recipe

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 8 lbs fish, firm-fleshed, weighed after filleting and frying (see instructions)
• 8 onions, very large, sliced thinly
• oil (for frying, or use lard, which is nicer)
• 4 tablespoons curry powder (use good quality)
• 8 cups vinegar (do not use spirit vinegar!)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 -3 hot peppers, fresh, sliced open (optional)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns (or you can use black)
• 4 -6 tablespoons apricot preserves (jam)

Recipe

• 1 first fry the fish in a large pan or skillet in the oil or lard, without seasoning. remove fish to cool, but leave the pan on the stove.
• 2 fry the onions, stirring, in the same pan, without browning them. add more oil/butter/lard if necessary. remove onions with a slotted spoon to a bowl to cool.
• 3 add all the remaining ingredients. decide how hot you'd like it: those hot peppers, or chillies, went into the mixture seeds and all! leave them out if you like.
• 4 mix well and boil furiously for 6 minutes.
• 5 allow the mixture to cool.
• 6 using a deep dish or clean canning jars, put some of the liquid in the bottom.
• 7 place a layer of fried fish on the sauce, and cover with more sauce and a layer of onions.
• 8 repeat layers until used up, trying to finish with a layer of onions.
• 9 cover and leave in fridge for 2 - 3 days before tasting. if in jars, close the jars tightly.
• 10 believe me -- in days of old this fish was not refrigerated. it can be kept for a long, long time, and therefore travels well! it is delicious, eaten cold with bread and sweet, milky tea!
• 11 some cooks added lemon or orange leaves to the final layering for a delicate extra flavour.