Herring Recipe

Prepare and dry

Rinse the cleaned herring under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. If fish are whole and small, you may leave them intact; for larger herring, fillet into two pieces by running a sharp knife along the backbone and remove the backbone and rib bones. Pat the fillets or whole fish very dry.

Salt cure

In a shallow nonreactive dish, combine 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Lay half of the mixture in the bottom of the dish, place the herring in a single layer, then cover with the remaining cure. Scatter 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns and 2 bay leaves over the fish. Press gently so cure contacts fish. Cover dish and refrigerate for 6–12 hours (6 hours for lightly cured, 12 hours for firmer texture).

Rinse and rest

After curing, remove fish from the cure and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess salt. Pat dry on paper towels. Let rest on a rack in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up before pickling.

Make brine

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup white wine vinegar, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Add 1 bay leaf, 6 allspice berries, and 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Prepare vegetables

While the brine cools slightly, arrange 1 cup thinly sliced onion and 1 cup thinly sliced carrot in the bottom of a clean, nonreactive jar or shallow container large enough to hold the fish in a single layer.

Combine fish and brine

Place the cured and rinsed herring pieces on top of the vegetables in the jar. Pour the warm (not piping hot) pickling brine over the fish, making sure the fish and vegetables are completely submerged. Add the two bay leaves from the cure if desired for extra flavor. Let cool to room temperature, then seal and refrigerate.

Pickle time

Refrigerate the herring for at least 12 hours for basic pickling, but preferably 24–48 hours to develop flavor. The longer it sits (up to 5 days), the more pronounced the pickled flavor will be. Keep refrigerated and consume within 7–10 days.

When ready to serve, remove herring from the brine and transfer to a serving dish. Arrange pickled onions and carrots around the fish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over the herring and sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill. Serve with lemon wedges and rye bread or boiled potatoes. Optionally serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Leftover pickled herring keeps in the refrigerator for up to 7–10 days; always use clean utensils to remove portions.