Cape Malay Pickled Fish

Name: Cape Malay Pickled Fish
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 1kg firm white fish fillets such as hake or yellowtail; Flour, for dusting; 4 onions, sliced into rings; 2 cups brown vinegar and 1 cup water; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp turmeric; 4 bay leaves, 10 allspice berries, 10 peppercorns; 1 tbsp grated ginger; Oil, for frying

Ingelegde vis/IN-kheh-legh-deh FISS/

Also known as: Ingelegde Vis, Pickled Fish

About this dish

Fried fish layered in a tangy, gently spiced curry vinegar sauce with onions, served cold.

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Ingredients

🐟1kg firm white fish fillets such as hake or yellowtail

🌾Flour, for dusting

🧅4 onions, sliced into rings

🫙2 cups brown vinegar and 1 cup water

🍬1/2 cup sugar

🟡2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp turmeric

🌿4 bay leaves, 10 allspice berries, 10 peppercorns

🫚1 tbsp grated ginger

🫗Oil, for frying

Method

Serves 3

Season the fish, dust with flour and fry until golden and just cooked. Drain.

Soften the onions in a little oil, then add the curry powder, turmeric and ginger and cook for 1 minute.

Add the vinegar, water, sugar, bay leaves, allspice and peppercorns and simmer for 10 minutes until the onions are tender.

Layer the fish and the hot onion sauce in a glass or ceramic dish, making sure the fish is covered.

Cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days before serving cold with bread.

✓ What Makes it Authentic

Pickled fish (ingelegde vis) is a Cape Malay tradition that has become South Africa's classic Easter dish, made days ahead so the flavours develop.

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