Fish pickle

Pickles

Pickles add to the spiciness of life. You make it once and use it for months together, so they help you to make life easier. Most of the people love to eat pickles but might not be the healthiest dish. An old saying goes that eating too much pickles may create an acidity problem in the stomach. May be because the pickling process creates some acids as part  of the fermentation.

We can make pickle with almost any food item. Different people prepares pickles in different ways. In many traditional households, they have their own process of preparing and preserving pickles. Pickling is the process of preserving or expanding the life span of food either by anaerobic fermentation (meaning fermentation without air, in a tightly closed jar) in brine (solution of salt) or immersion in vinegar.

Fish Pickle

Today let me write about how to make a non-vegetarian pickle, which is made out of shark fish. This  pickle makes me feel nostalgic because this is one of the best dishes of my mother used to send me to the hostel during my collage days. Whenever I see the fish pickle that reminds me of how me and my friends used to compensate the tasteless mess food with the spicy and tasty home prepared pickles that many of us have brought with us.


Typically fish pickle can be made with shark, sardine, butter fish (moda), seer fish, prawns etc., except mackerel. Here we will used dried shark, and not the fresh shark.

Ingredients:

1) Shark Fish,dry                1 Kg(Cut in to small square pieces and soaked in water about 8 hours, for to remove its salt);
2) Ginger                           1 tbsp, cut in to thin slices;
3) Garlic                           8 cloves;cut in to slices;
4) Green chilly                  6 no(slit through center);
5) Kashmiri chilly powder        2 tbsp;               
6) Curry leaves                   1 spring;
7) Mustard                       1 tsp;
8) Coconut oil                   As needed;
9) Vinegar                       1 tbsp;
10)Salt                         As needed;

Marination

1) Kashmiri chilly powder     2 tablespoon;
2) Turmeric powder            1/2 tsp;
3) Salt 
4) Oil                        For Frying ;   

Method of preparation:

1. Marinate the cleaned fish  with Kashmiri chilly powder (2 tsp), Turmeric powder (1/2 tsp) and salt. Keep this for half an hour. Heat oil in a pan & fry the fish. Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and sprinkle in mustard seeds,When they start sputtering add curry leaves, garlic, ginger and chilly pieces, stir well. To this add chilly powder, add fried fish pieces. Switch off the flame and add vinegar. Mix everything well. After it cools down, keep it in glass jar or bottle.