Feel free to substitute your favorite type of fish. You can use any de-boned fillet of fish.
Some Baltic countries add a few crushed juniper berries and cardamom pods to add a unique flavor to the fish.
Making homemade yogurt or kefir can feel like a lot of work. For less effort, you can buy plain yogurt and use the liquid that settles on the top.
Most people prefer to eat fermented fish without cooking it. Serve it with crackers or dry toast. It’s also great with other pickled foods like pickled vegetables.
Don’t have a dishwasher? Put the jar or bottle and lid into a pot and fill it with enough water to submerge them. Then, boil the water over high heat for 10 minutes. Don’t try to handle the hot, sterilized jar or bottle until it’s cooled.
If the cold rice sticks to your hands or the spatula, dip them in cold water.
Want to use small, whole fish like silver biddies instead of fillets? No problem! You can skip this step and use 3⁄4 pound (340 g) of small, whole fish instead.
This probably seems like a lot of salt in addition to the salted rice, but remember that salt helps preserve the fish.
Don’t worry if you have space at the top of your bottle—you just don’t want air pockets around the fish.
If you really want to make sure that your jar is completely airtight, you can use plastic wrap and screw a lid on top of it.
It’s really easy to forget when you started fermenting the fish, so label the jar with the date.
Stir in more water if you like your burong isda to be thinner. If you like a spicy meal, add a few thinly sliced pieces of fresh ginger when you sauté the veggies.
