Pickled fish and Tape Worms

In the recent MN DNR publication, The Voluteer, I notice a blurb about Tapeworms and Cold Pickling of Pike. I did a little research and came up this this. Thought I should share.

Quote:

---

Caution: The Broad Fish Tapeworm

The broad fish tapeworm infection can be contracted by humans from eating raw or undercooked species of fish found in the Great Lakes area.

The larvae of the broad fish tapeworm pass through smaller fish until they lodge as hatched small worms in the flesh of large carnivorous species of fish, like northern pike, walleye pike, sand pike, burbot, and yellow perch. This worm, if eaten by humans in its infective stage, can attach to the small intestine and grow to lengths of 10 to 30 feet.

The infective worms are destroyed readily either by cooking or freezing. Two recent (my edit: this was posted in 1990) outbreaks of this tapeworm in Minnesota were related to eating uncooked pickled pike. Those who wish to prepare raw pickled fish should first freeze the fish at 0° F for 48 hours.

---

Here’s the full scoop on preserving fish from the U of M Extension Service…..

Preserving Fish Safely

Also a point worth noting is the U of M suggests keeping your catch alive as long as possible to keep bacteria levels down. I wonder if the MN DNR is aware of this????

Thanks for the heads up, I do a lot of Pike pickling!

Not to change the subject but how about one of those pickling recipies . Any help would be appreciated.

You gotta ask Ms. fishingmachine for that.

I have it..just can’t find it! Best thing is to send Mary, (Fishing Machine) a pm as Chris stated.

Easy, no hassle and GREAT tasting pickled pike. I won’t eat herring since I’ve had her receipe!

In fact HOF did some gills that were just as good. So good that Catten Addict took the whole jar home! ( the schmuck!)

I’ll post it when I find it…unless she beats me to it.

Note to self:

If you see Cattin_addict dragging his across the carpet, don’t ask for his pickled fish..

Now THAT IS funny…I don’t care what kind of tape worm you have!

Phone call made…

Pickled Pike
(based on 1 quart jars)

Cut fillets into pieces and place into qt. jar, leave a little room at the top. Pour ¾ cup of pickling salt over fish. Fill jar with white vinegar, cover and shake to dissolve salt. Place covered jar in fridge for 5 days, shaking daily to dissolve salt. On 5th day, rinse well in plain water, and let soak in cool water for a couple of hours. Drain.

Prepare 1 part sugar, two parts vinegar (eyeball it), and pour over fish. Add onions and a tablespoon of pickling spices along with whatever else you want to throw in. Let it sit for a couple of days in the fridge, shaking daily and it’s ready to eat! (Great with beer, on a Triscuit(?))

Thanks for the recipie I will try it next week. Without the worms!!!!!!!!!!! I have a few pike to work with that are frozen already.

Here is one my nephew uses on suckers and pike. Good stuff.

-Skin and fillet fish
-Cut in 1 inch pieces and cut off all blood line from under skin.
-Combine 1\4 cup pickleing salt to 1 quart of fish and mix well to coat all
pieces. Cover with cider vinegar and let stand for 5-7 days.
-Rinse fish.
-Heat 3\4 cup suger and 1 cup white vinegar.
-Pack fish into jars with lots of onions and two teaspoons pickleing spices
to one quart.
-Pour warm juice over the fish, cap and refrigerate.
-four days later they are ready to eat, the longer they sit though the
better they get.

Recipe for pickled fish:
: Pickled Fish. Cut fish into chunks any size you want. Soak chunks in salt water and leave 48 hours; drain and don’t rinse. Cover with white vinegar and leave 48 hours; drain and don’t rinse. (Salt water is made with 1-cup picking salt to every ½ gal of water) Then boil together the following: 1-cup water. ½ tsp. Dried mustard. 7 1/2c. white vinegar. 6 whole red dried peppers. 7cups Sugar. ¼ cup Pickling spice. Several dried Bay leaves. Let this mixture cool. Pack fish in jars with raw onion slices between each layer of fish and add the mixture. Keep refrigerated and let stand 4-7 days.

All right here you go for all who missed this recipe or misplaced it.

1 1/2 qt. fo fish fillets cut in small pieces.
1/2 cup canning salt
1 1/4 cups vinegar
3/4 cup white wine (Any sweet white wine)
Shake well – place in refridgerator and shake daily for 7 days. Drain and rinse well in cold water.
Mix 3/4 cup vinegar
1 1/4 cups white wine
2 onions chopped or sliced thin
1 tablespoon pickling spices
1/2 cup sugar
shake and place in refridgerator and shake dailey for another 7 days.
If you like herring you will like this.

Good luck!!

Thank you Briank and Chris T

Thanks Mary! I forgot I was going to post it…

I haven’t tried anyone elses reciepe…so I speak with no knowlege as always.

It’s easy…can’t screw up and as I said before…won’t eat herring any longer.

One change though…if you use $40. a bottle wine in the first step…it tastes much better once strained an served slightly chilled in wine glasses…with fish or pork…

(j/k…think about it…you’ll catch up)

Thanks FM for sharing again!

Care to try some homebrew!!??!!??

Well if you’re going to the sturgeon excursion, there should be plenty of homebrew flowing!!!!

Quote:

---

Care to try some homebrew!!??!!??

---

Thank you Fishing Machine for the pickled fish recipe. I made it w/some gills a few weeks back, wont eat herring anymore. I also used some homemade dry apple-cranberry wine. It came out great, and the fish are a little red to make things interesting. Again, thankyou.

That should make for quite a conversation piece. Red pickled fish. Wow you have them blushing
glad you enjoy them.

I have never pickling fish before but plan to try Fishing Machine’s receipt this year. I fish pool 4 and can get walleye, sauger, white bass, sheepshead, and a few northern pike. In Lake Zumbro I can get sunfish, crappie, and white bass. What kind of fish works best for pickling?

Dave Gulczinski

Dave, I have very little experiance in fish pickling…however Northerns are awesome (leave the bones in) and Mike Smith from Hooked on Fishing did some gills that were great too. Had a couple crappies and tossed them in with my Northerns…after they were pickled, I never did find them.

I know that Fishing Machine would do suckers from time to time.

Good Luck and Goooood Eating!!

Crappies for me were too soft, White bass seemed to turn “Waxy” on me, but everything else I have tried came out GREAT! Perch are Excellent! But they are so good fried, it’s hard to put them in the pickle jar!
Also, try smoked bullhead! Awesome! No, not Putz in the 60’s, the fish!

Thought I would pull this one out of the depths of IDO too.

10 to 30ft long tape worm that could be alot of cut bait. For Free!!

….and comes with it’s own dispenser.