Spicy Pickled Fish
With Easter only a few days away, don’t get the lockdown blues. You can still create your family feast with this traditional Pickled Fish recipe! Aromatic and spicy, it’s exactly what we all need right now.
- 2 Yellowtail Fillets (approx 1kg each)
- 4 onions (sliced into rings)
- 500ml brown vinegar
- 500ml white vinegar
- 170ml water
- 30g sugar
- 50ml curry powder (masala)
- 15ml turmeric
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 8 lime leaves (or lemon leaves)
- 2ml black pepper
- 1 cup apricot jam
- FOR THE BATTER
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour (sifted)
- 1 cup milk
- Corn Starch (maizena)
- Oil for frying (to fill up approx 1/4 of the pan)
- Remove skin from the yellowtail fillets.
- Cut the fillets into two pieces, removing the boney section in the middle.
- Cut your fillet halves into chunky blocks. Cover and set aside.
- Add all of the following into a large pot: onion rings, vinegar, water, sugar, masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper, lime leaves, black pepper and apricot jam. Cook slowly for approx 40 minutes.
- In a blender first add the egg and milk and blend until well combined.
- Add the salt, pepper and flour and blend until it forms a batter with no visible lumps.
- Leave the batter for 30 minutes.
- Blend the batter again just before using to create some nice air pockets.
- Put some cornstarch in a bowl and roll the yellowtail chunks until they are lightly coated. (Using cornstarch before applying the batter will act as a natural glue and help the batter to stick to the fish).
- Fill a pan with oil approximately a quarter of the way up the side and put on a medium to high heat.
- Dip the cornstarch covered fish chunks into the batter until completely covered and then fry in the heated oil for approximately 2-3 minutes per side. You want to have a slightly golden batter but you don't want to overcook your fish.
- Remove the fried pieces and place them on some paper towel so that it soaks up some of the excess oil.
- Once all the pieces are fried, set aside before placing them into glass jars or glass containers. (I was able to fill 3 large jars).
- Check on your sauce which should have reduced nicely on the stove. Remove it from the heat after your 40 minutes is up and while the liquid is still hot, pour over the fish in their containers.
- Allow to cool before refrigerating. Keep in the fridge for 2-3 days before eating which will allow the fish to soak up all those awesome flavours!
- This recipe is quite spicy, so if you don't like too much heat, you can reduce the amount of masala.
Smoky Yellowtail Braai
If you scroll through some of our recipes you will see that this is in fact our second braaied yellowtail recipe. What is the difference you may ask? In our first recipe we gave you details on cooking a delicious yellowtail fillet covered in red onion, garlic, lemon and coriander. We used the braai more as an oven, with the fish being wrapped in tinfoil, but still giving you the option of the “gees” that an open fire gives us South Africans.
This recipe is quite different in that the fish is placed directly on the grid and absorbs all those fabulous smoky braai flavours. You will need a braai grid which can open and close with a handle so that you can flip the fish over easily. Leaving the scales on the skin can help prevent the fish from sticking to the grid but make a note to remove the skin before eating.
- 750g Greenfish Yellowtail Fillet, skin on (plus minus 250g per person)
- A few knobs of Butter
- 2-3 teaspoons of crushed Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
- Place the fillet on the braai grid skin side down and season with salt and pepper. Spread a few teaspoons of crushed garlic over the fillet and place a couple of knobs of butter on top.
- Place the grid high above the coals on a medium heat and braai skin side down. Cooking on a medium heat high above the coals will prevent the skin from burning. You will see the meat change from translucent pink to white. Cook until you can see this colour change has just gone past half way (this process will take approximately 15 -18 minutes).
- Flip the grid over so that the flesh side is now above the coals and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes until almost done. When the fillet looks 95% cooked remove from the heat as it will continue to cook once taken off the coals.
- Enjoy with friends!
Yellowtail on the Braai
With the weather warming up for summer, braai season is in the air! And what better way to celebrate a perfect summer evening than a lekker fish braai. 
This recipe is seriously simple and quick to put together. Make sure to read our simple method to removing Yellowtail pin bones before you attempt this recipe.
- 1 pack of Greenfish Yellowtail Fillets
- 2 tsp of Crushed Garlic
- 2 Red Onions
- 1 Lemon
- A few knobs of Butter
- Coriander
- Salt & Pepper
- Place your pin boned fillet of fish on a piece of foil (shiny side up) large enough to cover the whole fillet
- Smear the fillet with the crushed garlic
- Cut your red onions into slices and place along the fillet
- Generously place your knobs of butter along the fillet
- Cut your lemon into slices and place along the fillet
- Sprinkle with coriander and seasoning
- Cover with the foil and place on grid above medium coals (you should only be able to hold your hand over the grid for 10 seconds)
- Cook for approximately 20 minutes until the flavours soak into the fish
- Your fish is done when it flakes with a fork but is still moist and juicy
- If your tinfoil starts to puff up, you have secured it tightly enough so as not to lose any of the moisture and juices.
How to Pin Bone a Yellowtail Fillet
You may often find when you come home with a fillet of fish that the pin bones are still present. This is due to the fact that leaving them in keeps the meat intact and effectively “undamaged” which preserves the shelf life. Luckily for you, you have me, the trusted Fish Wife to guide you through this simple process of removing them.
STEP 1:
Buy yourself a good pair of pin boning tweezers or borrow a pair of hubby’s long nose pliers that you can throw in the dishwasher.
STEP 2:
Run the blade of a knife over the centre of the fish which will expose all the pin bones.
STEP 3:
Using your tweezers or pliers, gently grab the pin bone, push down and pull out each individual bone one by one (there should be about 5-6 pin bones per fillet). If you are using Greenfish yellowtail fillets all other bones would have been removed.
And voila! Yes, it is that simple! Now you have beautifully prepared Yellowtail fillets ready to cook.
