Pickled Fish

My wife reminded me of another Easter tradition I had almost forgotten and something she grew up as a child. Pickled fish is a sweet and spicy dish made from pan-fried white fish, marinated in onions and raisins. The dish has its origins in the cape-malay community (people whose ancestors came from what is today Malaysia and Indonesia) in Cape Town, many of whom were fishermen. Rather than letting unsold go to waste, the wives would pickle the fish in this way so it could keep for months. The recipe became famous throughout the country, even inland where fresh fish was not available until refrigeration became common place.

The recipe calls for hake (Merluccius capensis) but Hechtdorsch (Merluccius merluccius) Seehecht, Kabeljau or Heilbut can be used instead.

You can serve it warm but, in my opinion, it's nicer when at room temperature.

Here is a good recipe but it uses imperial measurements so you'll need to convert. The important step is the marinating - this is when the flavors develop. 

The chutney the writer refers to is this. REWE and Edeka used to stock it but I've not seen it there for some time now. You can use another brand (e.g. Geeta or Jambo Afrika) but it must be the sweet variety with tamarind.

Bon apetit!