Pickled Fish mom’s way
8
Easy
30 minutes, plus overnight standing time
35–40 minutes
We’ve always been taught that ipikili is only ever eaten over the Easter period. I say that’s not okay and that this is a dish that deserves year-round love. It’s a bit of effort, but there's a wonderful rhythm to making pickled fish that just makes the day go by so quickly for me. Slowly cooking the onions is my favourite part – no, frying the fish and stealing one sneaky piece to hide in a slice of bread is my favourite part! Traditionalists might side-eye my recipe and identify it simply as curried fish, which isn’t incorrect. This is how my family’s always done it. I know it’s definitely been a case of broken telephone – the recipe was passed down from my grandmother’s sister uAunt Marie, who passed it on to my grandmother uNcinci, who passed it down to her daughters, who passed it down to me and all my cousins. Trying to teach my nieces how to do it in the age of TikTok and low attention spans has been almost impossible, but I’m farming that responsibility out to my cousin who has two daughters. You do the work, Lwazi! I know everyone else hated it, but I loved how the smell of pickled fish would linger on the couches and curtains long after we’d finished eating the stuff. To me, it made our house smell like a home; a lived in and loved home. Pickled fish is a major marker of the Easter period in many South African households and each family holds their respective recipe in high regard. I've been raised to believe that my family's recipe is the one to beat. Here it is, the best pickled fish recipe in the country. Maybe the world.
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Ingredients
Method
- 1 kg fresh hake fillets, cut into pieces (thaw completely if using frozen hake)
- 500 ml canola oil, for frying For the batter:
- 180 g flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 t baking powder
- 1 T paprika
- 1 T low-sodium fish seasoning
- 1 T coriander seeds
- 3 free-range eggs
- 3 cups cold sparkling water For the curried onions:
- 3 T vegetable oil
- 4 large onions, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
- 1 T coriander seeds
- 2 star anise
- 1 t fennel seeds
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 T cumin seeds
- 1 T garam masala
- 1 T turmeric
- 1 T medium curry powder
- 100 g brown sugar
- 2 cups white vinegar
- salt, to taste
Method
Ingredients
1. To make the batter, combine the flour, baking powder, paprika, fish seasoning and coriander. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and water, then add to the dry ingredients. Whisk together to form a batter of medium thickness.
2. Preheat the oil to 160°C in a deep-fryer or large saucepan. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, dust with flour, then dip into the batter. Fry in batches and drain on kitchen paper.
3. To make the curried onions, heat the oil in a saucepan. Gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger. Meanwhile, toast the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon, star anise and cumin seeds in a dry pan, then add to the onions and fry over a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until onions are sweet and translucent.
4. Add the garam masala, turmeric and medium curry powder and stir through thoroughly. Gently fry for 5 minutes, then stir in the sugar and vinegar. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt.
5. Pour the sauce liberally over the fried fish, ensuring each piece of fish is well coated with the sauce. Chill overnight. This is best served at room temperature with cold coleslaw.
Food assistant: Lerato Motau
Photographer: Shavan Rahim
Production: Amy Ebedes-Murray
Videographer: Romy Wilson
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