Pickled Pike Q's

[mallardnwalleye]

Yes that is true. I actually only use the y-bone sections to pickle and fry the rest, no waste at all.

It's all good summer, winter whenever. I have been doing whole fish for years. Going to have to try doing the y bone only sections that I could save and freeze. Great Idea. Thanks Da Moose!!

[OnAFly]

We always catch them in early summer. It would be nice to do something with a few of those hammer handles. I've got a few waiting for the brine right now. Nice to get a few 20" last day of he season.

[otterman91105]

Next time i pickle a batch i will have to try some peppers like some of you guys are saying. Sounds good.

[Gordie]

Next time i pickle a batch i will have to try some peppers like some of you guys are saying. Sounds good.

Many things you can add as extra like cailiflower,greenbeans,celery, raddish to name a few . It nice to add bit of fiber with fish Oh yea and Peppers the hotter the better.

[leech~~]

I just finished a jar from lispeej which was very good and pretty darn tangy "hot" just the way I like it.

He put in some Thai peppers which are pretty warm to say the least! I have a jar that I am making in the frig right now and will be adding peppers to it for sure and a lot of veggies as Gordie talked about. Yuuum!

[DonBo]

Added lemon slices to my last batch and will definetly be doing that again.

[DrJuice1980]

I like to put some white wine in the juice with the sweet peppers and onions, gives it a little tang. I'll try the hot pepper idea next time. Love me some spice.

[eyeguy 54]

mmmmmmmmmmmmm... I need some

[BTL]

What is it about you Minnesotans and your love for pickled fish? :-)

I am the least picky eater I've ever met, but pickled fish is simply inedible to me. I want to like it, but every time I eat it I can barely keep from gagging. Of course, all my relatives in MN could eat it by the pound!

[otterman91105]

Pickled fish is the best. It's a taste that you either have or you don't.

[WIMN]

I let a batch of pike pickle for about 3 and a half weeks and am trying it for the first time. Some of the pieces taste great (pretty tangy but sweet), and others taste very fishy... I'm guessing I didn't do a good enough job rinsing the fillets off before pickling them (they had been in my freezer for 2 years, I just thawed them and cut them up still semi-frozen).

Anybody have any input? It's seriously a world of difference between pieces. The fishiness is similar to the smell of fish slime on your hands after holding fish... Maybe I got some slime on the meat when I was filleting them?

[hockeybc69]

Did you shake the mix daily? How big are the fillets that you used? Are you certain you got the right ratios of vinegar and other components in the brine?

I would venture to guess when you cleaned them you may not have done a good job rinsing them prior to freezing, and had fish slime on them when you packaged them.

After 3 weeks, hard to believe sitting in that brine that there could be any fishy taste even if handling of the fish or cleaning of the fish prior was iffy.

[WIMN]

Did you shake the mix daily? How big are the fillets that you used? Are you certain you got the right ratios of vinegar and other components in the brine?

I would venture to guess when you cleaned them you may not have done a good job rinsing them prior to freezing, and had fish slime on them when you packaged them.

After 3 weeks, hard to believe sitting in that brine that there could be any fishy taste even if handling of the fish or cleaning of the fish prior was iffy.

Yeah, did daily shaking, each piece was about 1"x1", and I think I got the recipe right. I had some more today and it seems like there have only been a few fishy pieces. I gave some to my sister to try and she said it tasted "fishy," and I've had 3 (of like 20) pieces myself that tasted "fishy." I'll probably give 'em a good rinse before pickling next time.

[hockeybc69]

... and be sure they are very clean before freezing more importantly I would think.

Interesting.

[DonBo]

Sounds to me like two years in the freezer may be about 18 months too long.