Dishes · A classic of Cape Malay · Cape Town
Cape Malay pickled fish
Fried fish layered with onions cooked in curry-spiced vinegar, left for days to pickle, and eaten cold at Easter.
What makes it cape malay pickled fish
- Firm white fish, floured and fried.
- Onions softened in vinegar, sugar, turmeric and curry spices.
- Left for at least a day, and eaten cold with bread.
Where it comes from
Fish kept in spiced vinegar is an old way to keep a catch, and this curried version is the Cape Malay one. It has become an Easter dish across the Western Cape, among Muslim and Christian families alike — one explanation is that it was made ahead for Good Friday, when fish is eaten and shops once shut for the long weekend.
Be the first here
Start your own cape malay pickled fishNo one here has made cape malay pickled fish yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
Near it
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Nordic and Baltic ryePickled herringSalted herring fillets soaked, then kept in a sweet-sour pickle of vinegar, sugar, onion and whole spice.No one here has made it yet