INGELEGDE VIS (STEEPED FISH)

Follow several recipes for 'ingelegde vis', which probably do not resemble the Jewish dish brought to the Netherlands centuries ago, being nowadays a rather old-fashioned first course among old-fashioned gentiles.


Note that several of the recipes mention both a measure of olive oil, and 'oil for frying the fish'. One should not use pure olive oil for frying fish - it cannot stand the necessary temperature, and tends to break down or smoke heavily. But one may add a few drops of olive oil to canola or similar oils for flavour.
For regular purposes, however, it is good to use a fine quality virgin olive oil. It really does taste better. But if one cannot use olive oil, use less oil - olive oil is easily digested, other oils can angrify the stomach.

The kinds of fish which are appropriate are those with firm flesh and strong flavour. The following are good: Halibut, Cod, Shark, Salmon, Red Snapper, Snook. But even trout can be used.

The last dish is an anomaly, being a dish from a part of Indonesia where the Portuguese maintained their influence even after the Dutch came in. It is very good. But the flavours might startle some people more than the other dishes would.


Your feed back will of course be keenly appreciated.



1. INGELEGDE VIS OP ZUID AFRIKAANSCHE WYZE
[STEEPED FISH IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN FASHION]

Two pounds firm fish, large chunks
One cup vinegar
Half cup water
Quarter cup olive oil
Quarter cup lemon juice
Quarter cup sugar
Three large onions, sliced
One lemon, sliced
1 Tsp whole peppercorns
1 Tsp salt
2 Tsp ground coriander
1 Tsp ground cumin
1/2 Tsp turmeric
1/4 Tsp dry ginger
1/4 Tsp cayenne


Salt the fish chunks, and quick-fry till opaque in a well-oiled pan. Remove and set aside.
Wipe the pan, and fry the sliced onions till they turn golden. Add the liquids and the spices, raise to boil, turn low and simmer for about five minutes. Turn off heat, let cool to warm.

Arrange the fish chunks and sliced lemon in a non-reactive vessel, and pour sauce over. Cover, and let stand half a day in the refrigerator. Garnish with parsley, and serve with crusty bread.

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2. INGELEGDE VIS OP MANIER VAN DE JOODSCHE AMSTERDAMMERS - MODERNE VERSIE
[STEEPED FISH IN THE MANNER OF JEWISH AMSTERDAMMERS - MODERN VERSION]

Two pounds salmon fillets
Two cucumbers, sliced
Two carrots, coarse grated
Two shallots, sliced thin
One cup vinegar
Half a cup of water or fish stock
Quarter cup of lemon juice
Pinches of salt and pepper


Mix everything, cover, and let chill for half a day.
Heat gently to barely boiling, then let cool to room temperature.
Serve on lettuce leaves, garnished with fresh herbs.

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3. INGELEGDE VIS OP MANIER VAN DE JOODSCHE AMSTERDAMMERS - VOORHENE VERSIE
[STEEPED FISH IN THE MANNER OF JEWISH AMSTERDAMMERS - FORMER VERSION]

Two pounds fish fillets
1 Cup fish stock or water
Half cup white wine
Half cup vinegar
Quarter cup sugar
Quarter cup olive oil
Two onions, sliced
Two carrots, julienned
Two sticks celery, julienned
One or two cloves of garlic, slivered
One tsp of whole peppercorns
A few bay leaves, a few cloves
Pinches of paprika, cayenne, salt
Oil for frying the fish


Salt the fish fillets, pat dry, panfry. Set aside.

Combine everything else in a non-reactive saucepan, raise to boiling, and simmer for about five minutes. Let cool to room temperature, and pour over the fish fillets. Cover and chill half a day.

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4. INGELEGDE VIS OP OUDERWETSCHE WYZE
[STEEPED FISH IN THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY]

Two pounds of fish, chunked
One large onion, sliced thin
One carrot, medallion cut
Six cloves of garlic, minced
Pinches of paprika, ground cumin, salt, pepper
Three quarters of a cup each: vinegar, white wine, olive oil
Plus oil for frying the fish


Fry the fish lightly in some of the oil. Remove from the pan, and fry the onion, adding the remainder of the oil. When the onion has turned golden, add the garlic. When the garlic starts to gild at the edges, add the liquids, carrot, and spices to the pot and raise to a boil. Turn low, and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a non-reactive dish, layer the fish chunks and the onions from the marinade, then pour the marinade over, cover, and let steep for 24 hrs in the refrigerator.

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5. INGELEGDE VIS OP DE MANIER VAN DE PORTUGEESCHE AMSTERDAMMERS #1.
[STEEPED FISH IN THE MANNER OF THE PORTUGUESE (SEPHARDIC) AMSTERDAMMERS #1.]

Two pounds of fish, sliced thickly
One and a half cup vinegar
One cup olive oil
Half a cup lemon juice
Half a cup white wine
One lemon, sliced
One bell pepper, sliced
One onion, sliced
Three cloves of garlic, chopped
Two Tablespoons of capers, rinsed
Generous pinches of salt and pepper
Flour, tomatoes, fresh herbs
Oil for frying the fish


Salt the sliced fish and dust with flour, shake off the excess. Fry in a little of the oil till firm. Set aside.

Gild the onion, add bell pepper when the onion is translucent, and add the garlic when the bell pepper smells fragrant. When you can smell the garlic, add the liquids, capers, salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes.

Layer half the fish with some of the lemon slices in a bowl, and pour some of the sauce over, making sure that sliced onion and bell pepper is on top of the fish. Layer the remaining half of the fish over this, with the remaining sliced lemon. Pour the remaining sauce over. Cover, and let rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Serve with chopped tomato and fresh herbs to garnish.

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6. INGELEGDE VIS OP DE MANIER VAN DE PORTUGEESCHE AMSTERDAMMERS #2.
[STEEPED FISH IN THE MANNER OF THE PORTUGUESE (SEPHARDIC) AMSTERDAMMERS #2.]

Two pounds of fish, chunked
One cup each: white wine, vinegar, olive oil, pitted black olives
One each: red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper
Pinches of salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne


Slice the bell peppers.
Put everything except the fish in a pot and simmer for a good ten minutes. Add the fish, poach for a few seconds only, and turn off the heat. Refrigerate for twenty four hours.

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7. INGELEGDE VIS OP DE MANIER VAN DE ANTWERPSCHE JOODEN #1.
[FISH IN THE MANNER OF THE ANTWERP JEWS #1]

Two pounds of fish, fillets
One cup of white wine
One cup of vinegar
Half a cup of lemon juice
Half a cup of olive oil
One onion, sliced
One carrot, sliced into medallions
Two Tablespoons of sugar
Small handfuls of chopped herbs, minced fine
Generous pinches of salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, and dry ginger
A few saffron threads
Oil for frying the fish


Salt and lightly flour the fish, and fry till barely firm. Set aside.
Put everything except fish and fresh herbs in a non-reactive pot, and simmer for about ten minutes. Let cool to warm.

Layer the fish with herbs in between the fillets in Pyrex, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and chill at least half a day. Best after twenty four hours.

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8. INGELEGDE VIS OP DE MANIER VAN DE ANTWERPSCHE JOODEN #2.
[FISH IN THE MANNER OF THE ANTWERP JEWS #2]
Two pounds of fish, fillets
One cup vinegar
Half a cup of olive oil
Half a cup of white wine
One Tablespoon of sugar
One teaspoon salt
Four or five shallots, sliced
One carrot, sliced
One stick of celery, sliced
A good squeeze of lemon juice
A hefty grind of pepper
Pinches of thyme, rosemary
Oil for frying the fish


Salt and lightly flour the fish, and fry till barely firm. Set aside.

Gild the shallots, carrot, and celery, till softened and aromatic.

Add the liquids to seethe, plus the sugar, salt, spices and herbs. Simmer for about five minutes, let cool a bit, and pour over the fish. Cover, and chill at least half a day. Best after twenty four hours.

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9. IKA SAKETO (EAST-INDONESIAN STYLE SHARP-COOKED FISH)

A fish large enough for two people, about one and a half to two pounds.
One onion, sliced thinly.
One red and one green bell pepper, ditto.
An excessive amount of fresh ginger, cut into thin juliennes.
Half a dozen cloves of garlic, sliced.
Two or three hot peppers (Jalapeno), left intact.
One cup of fish stock.
Half cup each vinegar, sherry (or white wine).
One fresh lime, for squeezing over.
Two tablespoons sugar.
Dashes of Louisiana hot sauce and soy sauce.
A small handful of fresh cilantro (coriander leaf), for garnish.
Oil for frying the fish, and oil for gilding the onions etc.


As for the fish: gut it, clean and scale it, rinse well. Salt it inside and out (which firms up the flesh nicely), and let it drain for ten minutes. Rub with a little turmeric (no more than about half a teaspoon), and fry in a little oil till done. Set aside.

Gild the onion, bell pepper, ginger, and garlic (add the garlic to the pan later than the onion). Seethe with the liquids. Add everything except the fish and cilantro, and simmer till reduced by about half - taste to make sure it isn't too strong). Pour over the fish. It can be served at this point, but it is better to let is sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Garnish with the coarsely ripped cilantro, or use parsley or celery leaf if you detest cilantro (some people are perverse).


Note: Julienned bamboo shoot is a great addition. If using canned bamboo shoot, soak briefly in warm water and rinse to remove the taste of the tin. Canned bamboo shoot is already cooked - add it a few minutes before taking the sauce off the heat.


I, of course, like a dab of sambal with my fish. You might not.