Preserving seafood with vinegar (acetic acid) is one of the easiest food-preservation techniques known. West Coast and Pacific Northwest states have several species of fish that lend themselves well to pickling—shad and herring are good examples. The fish are plentiful, little work is involved, and the products are delicious.

High-oil-content fish make the best pickled dishes. In addition to shad and herring, the more common West Coast species are Chinook salmon, striped bass, and black cod. Other species are also suitable, depending on individual preferences. These different species may require slight modifications in preparation techniques, but following the basic steps outlined below will be a good way to begin developing your own private recipe.

Safe and tasty fish-pickling recipes all have one thing in common: they use enough vinegar to prevent botulism. Although rare, botulism is an important consideration in all food preservation. By following some simple rules, you can insure that your favorite pickled fish is safe as well as delicious. This publication outlines the basic steps in pickling fish, offers some helpful hints on preparation, and provides a basic recipe that works well on most high-oil-content fish.

The recipe

Most good fish-pickling recipes call for salt curing prior to brining in the pickle solution. This steps kills some unwanted bacteria, firms the protein for good texture, and deactivates some enzymes.

Salt curing also preserves the fish so it can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration before pickling. However, refrigeration will extend this storage period. Once salt-cured fish is placed in pickle brine, it must be refrigerated and has a limited storage life (4 to 5 months).

In recipes that don’t call for salt-cured fish, use only previously frozen fish (3 to 4 days in the average home freezer). This will ensure that no live parasites are present in the raw fish—which is particularly important for lightly salted and marinated recipes.

Vinegar will stop bacterial spoilage, give flavor, and soften bones. However, vinegar will not preserve the fish indefinitely; it only slows the spoilage and softening caused by enzyme action. The concentration of acid (from the vinegar) must be high enough to prevent botulism.

The growth of these food-poisoning bacteria will be prevented when the starting pH (a measure of acid strength) is below 3.5. From a practical standpoint, this acid level can be attained when the pickle solution contains at least one or more parts of 5% vinegar to one part water.

Most pickling recipes contain sugar, salt, spices, and onions. These really add little to the preservation of the fish, but they are the key to good flavor. The ingredients of the pickling solution offered by this recipe are quite basic and can be modified to individual taste preference (table
1)—but never use a solution with less vinegar then water. If the flavor of vinegar is too strong for your taste, add more sugar to offset it. (Try doubling the amount of sugar as a start.)

The basics—salt curing and brining