Jamaican Pickled Herring

Instrucciones

1

In a large pot or heatproof bowl, cover herring fillets with boiling water and let stand 15 minutes. (This process helps remove some salt and makes fish tender enough to shred.) Taste a piece of herring to gauge saltiness; if fish is still too salty for your taste, drain water and replace with fresh cold water; then allow to soak for 15 to 30 minutes longer. Repeat with additional changes of cold water, if necessary, but bear in mind that some level of saltiness is required for the dish to have the proper flavor. (The finished dish should be on the salty side, meant to be eaten in small bites with a drink and crackers.) Drain fillets and rinse under cool running water.
2

Pat fillets dry, then, using your hands, shred meat by breaking fish into bite-sized bits, removing any prickly tiny bones as you go; note that you will likely not be able to remove all the bones, which is okay as the smallest ones are so fine that they don&
3

Transfer picked fish to a large bowl and mix with chayote, carrot, and onion. Add vinegar, olive oil (if using), rum (if using), cilantro (if using), and Scotch bonnet pepper and stir to combine. Season with salt only if necessary; the dish should be quite salty already given the amount of salted herring, so only add more salt if it falls short of its desirably salty flavor. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
4

Serve with hearty Jamaican water crackers or cream crackers and avocado, if desired.
5

Salted herring fillets (also sometimes called smoked herring fillets) are sold at Jamaican and Caribbean markets. Use more herring if you want a more intensely salty pickle, and less if you want a little more vegetable relative to the herring to cut some of the intensity.
6

Rum, olive oil, and cilantro are ingredients we like to add to our version for more flavor, though they aren&
7

Pickled herring can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Ingredientes

Instrucciones