Acar Fish Pickle Recipe

Acar Fish Pickle Recipe

(Malaysian Recipes)

1 kg small, whole fish or fish fillets

2 teaspoons fine salt

1 cup oil for frying

4 tablespoons cooking oil

30 g (5cm) fresh turmeric root, sliced hair-thin

100 g young ginger, sliced hair-thin

100 g garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices

30 g or 3 red chilies, seeded and quartered (or to be more spicy you can replace

  with bird's eye chilies - leave whole)

30 g or 3 green chilies, seeded and quartered

250 ml white or distilled vinegar

8 - 10 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon roasted white sesame seeds

Method:

Wash both red and green chilies and sun them a while to make sure they are dry.  Scaled, clean and gut fish and season with fine salt.  Deep fry the fish until golden brown and crispy on the outside.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.  Heat oil and fry turmeric and young ginger until the oil turns yellow.  Remove both the ginger with a Chinese sieve and let drain on paper towels.  Using the same oil, fry the garlic until golden brown and aromatic.  Leave aside to cool before adding the red and green chilies, vinegar, sugar and salt to taste.  Lastly, add in the fried fish.  Serve Acar Fish Pickle garnished with roasted white sesame seeds.  Acar Fish Pickle is best served the next day to allow the flavors to develop.  If not consuming immediately, keep it submerged in the vinegar solution in a clean, dry glass jar; it keeps well for about a week at room temperature and longer in the refrigerator.