Not a single table set for the holiday is complete without salted herring. Our Russian people really love this snack. So how can you not love her? Cleaned of bones and skin, cut into pieces, seasoned with butter and fresh thinly sliced onions - it’s so delicious that you can’t even describe it in words.
What about the festive table?! And on weekdays, salted herring is good. Boil the potatoes, season them with butter, and serve them on the table along with our favorite fish - it’s unlikely that anyone will refuse such a dinner.
And our favorite New Year’s salad “Herring under a fur coat” is completely unthinkable without this wonderful fish. Just like the fact that this wonderful snack is always on the New Year's table. And there is probably no point in talking about the merits of herring; even without any advertising, it is loved by both adults and children.
Nowadays, stores sell very tasty herring, but many people prefer to salt it themselves. Yes, this is understandable; it is still believed that everything prepared at home is both tastier and healthier. That's probably true! And that is why today there are many homemade ways to salt this fish. Let's look at some of them.
I have been collecting recipes for pickling herring for years. I tried different options. And today I want to share with you the most delicious of them. I hope you like them!
You can salt herring in brine or brine, and there is dry salting, which is the simplest. Herring can be salted either whole or in pieces. They salt it with butter, mustard, lemon, vinegar, onions and even add carrots.
Lightly salted herring is considered to be salted for 24-36 hours. If the fish is salted for a longer time, then it will become more and more salty every day, and it is no longer considered lightly salted.
In order for the herring to turn out tasty, you need to be able to choose it correctly. How our favorite dish turns out depends on the freshness of the fish and knowledge of certain features.
How to choose the right herring for pickling
- It is best to choose a large and fatty herring. Someone thinks that it would be nice if it turns out to be a “boy” with milk. “Girls,” although usually well-fed, give all their fat to caviar. At least that's what it seems. But here, as they say, “the taste, the color...” Personally, I like the “girl” herring more, I think it’s more tasty and tender.
- The fish must be whole, without torn skin, cuts or damage, with intact fins. Also make sure that it is not wrinkled or crushed.
- The freshness of fish is determined by the eyes and gills. Fresh herring have red gills and eyes that are light, shiny and protruding. Sometimes, to hide the freshness of the fish, its head is cut off. Try not to take such fish.
- If the fish is frozen, and then thawed and frozen again, its flesh will be soft. It is better to refuse to buy such fish. If you salt it, the flesh will fall apart and all the bones will be exposed. The fish will lose its appearance. And it definitely won’t be tasty. In addition, eating such fish can be dangerous. After all, we don’t know how long it lay defrosted.
- If you want to salt frozen fish, you must first defrost it. Do not use warm or hot water for this, and do not use a microwave. The fish should be given the opportunity to defrost gradually and in natural conditions. It is best to defrost it in the refrigerator. Well, or at least at room temperature.
How to choose herring for pickling
Following the recipe is only half the success. To make a delicious snack, you need to use the highest quality products. The ideal option for salting is freshly caught fish. But it is not available to everyone. Russians living in regions without access to seas and oceans have to be content with freshly frozen herring. It is also suitable for pickling.
If there is a wide selection, it is advisable to choose Pacific or Atlantic herring. How to determine the quality of a product? The eyes of the fish should be light, without any spots or streaks. If the gills fit tightly to the carcass, then this is a fresh herring. Experts do not recommend buying fish with the head removed. This is how many sellers try to sell old goods.
An appetizer made from fish caught during the winter season is especially tender and tasty. And all because it contains more fat. Do you want to cook excellent fish? Then choose heavy carcasses with rounded sides.
Very tasty herring, salted in brine
In my opinion, most people salt their fish in brine. And there are quite a lot of salting methods. Every now and then at work you can hear - “Oh, I found such an interesting new way of pickling herring, it’s simply delicious!” And they bring the fish for their colleagues to try. And we are happy to try and praise.
Let's figure out what methods exist.
Spicy salting of whole fish according to the classic recipe
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- water - 1 liter
- salt - 2 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons
- peppercorns - 10 pcs
- allspice - 4-5 pcs
- cloves - 4-5 pcs.
- bay leaf - 2-3 pcs
Preparation:
1. Remove the insides of the herring and rinse thoroughly. It is better to leave the head, but the gills must be removed, they will give a bitter taste to the brine. If the fish contains caviar, carefully clean it; later it can be salted along with the herring.
Sometimes they add salt and milk, some people like it. If you want, you can wash and leave them too.
2. Prepare the brine (brine). To do this, put the water on a boil; as soon as it boils, add salt, sugar and spices. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the brine cool completely.
3. Prepare a container the size of the fish, place the herring in it, and fill it with brine. Also add caviar, and whoever left it - milk. Let the fish sit in the brine at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator.
4. Milk and caviar will be ready in 24 hours, and fish in 48 hours. It’s better to get the caviar out within a day and eat it, because after 48 hours it will become too salty, and the same goes for milk.
How to salt herring in brine with oil
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- salt - 2 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon
- vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. spoon
Preparation:
1. Clean the herring, remove the entrails and gills. If you want, you can leave the caviar and milk. Rinse the herring and caviar.
You can cut the fish into pieces, or you can leave the whole carcass, do it as you wish. I cut it into pieces. I like each piece to be lightly coated with butter.
2. Put water on fire. As soon as the water boils, add salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and cool the water.
3. Add oil to the water. Place the fish in a glass or plastic container and fill it with brine. Close the lid.
4. Leave for 3-4 hours at room temperature, then refrigerate for 3 days.
Spiced herring in brine with mustard
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- water - 1 l
- salt - 5 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons
- coriander grains - 1 tbsp. spoon
- dill (can be dried) - 1 tbsp. spoon
- bay leaf - 8 pcs
- black peppercorns - 15 pcs
- allspice - 4 pcs
- mustard - 2 tbsp. spoons
Preparation:
1. Remove the insides of the herring. If you leave the head, be sure to remove the gills. They will give a bitter taste to the brine and the herring itself.
Or you can fillet the herring and cut it. It will also be very tasty. Each piece will end up covered in mustard, and it will be very tasty.
2. Boil water and add salt, sugar and all spices except mustard. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Then turn off the heat and cool the brine.
3. Coat the cleaned carcass with mustard. Place in a special container with a tight-fitting lid.
Thanks to mustard, the herring will not only be tasty, but also elastic and strong.
4. Pour in cooled brine. Leave for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Then put it in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
Another recipe with mustard
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- water - 1 liter
- salt - 5 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons
- black pepper - 10-15 pcs (can be coarsely chopped)
- dry mustard - 1 teaspoon
- bay leaf - 4-5 pcs
Preparation:
1. Clean the fish and, if leaving the head, remove the gills. Rinse thoroughly under running water.
2. Boil water, add salt, sugar and spices. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, turn off the heat. Let the brine sit to cool.
3. Place the herring in the prepared container and fill it with chilled brine. Sprinkle mustard on top and stir a little until the mustard gets wet.
4. Let stand at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
How to salt herring with vinegar
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- water - 250 -300 ml
- salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
- vinegar 9% - 1-1.5 tbsp. spoons
- peppercorns - 10 pcs
- bay leaf - 3 - 4 pcs.
- coriander seeds - 1 tbsp. spoon
- vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. spoons
Preparation:
1. Clean the herring, remove the head, and if you salt the head, then only the gills. Rinse in cool water. You can also salt the fish along with its entrails. But it’s still better to remove the gills.
2. Bring water to a boil. Add salt and spices, boil for 3-4 minutes and turn off the heat. Let the brine cool.
3. Add vinegar to the cooled brine.
4. Place the fish in a special bowl and fill it with brine. Let sit at room temperature for 4-5 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator for 7-8 hours.
Quick salting with vinegar and onions
We will need:
- herring - 1 piece
- water – 500 + 250 ml
- vinegar 9% - 1 tbsp. spoon
- salt - 3 tbsp. heaped spoons
- peppercorns - 7-8 pcs
- bay leaf -2 pcs
- onion - 1 pc.
- sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. spoons
Preparation:
1. If you use frozen herring, you do not need to defrost it completely. Defrost until ready. so that you can easily clean it from the insides. Remove the head.
2. Peel the skin and remove the bones. Cut the fillet into pieces.
3. Mix 500 ml of water at room temperature with salt. Pour over the chopped fish and leave to salt for 1.5 hours. Then drain the water.
4. Mix 250 ml. water with vinegar and pour the mixture over the fish. Let stand for 5 minutes, then drain the water. Leave it, we will need it later.
5. Add onion, bay leaf, coarsely chopped peppercorns. Pour in oil and the remaining water and vinegar.
6. Let stand for 30-40 minutes. Then you can eat.
How to quickly and tasty pickle whole herring in brine
And according to this recipe, the herring can be salted in just 24 hours.
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- water -1 l
- salt - 3 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons
- peppercorns - 10 pcs
- allspice – 10 pcs
- coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon
- bay leaf - 3 pcs
Preparation:
1. Remove the gills from the fish and rinse it thoroughly. We don't remove the insides.
2. Boil water and add all the spices, salt and sugar. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Then cool the brine.
3. Place the herring in a special container for pickling and fill with cooled brine.
4. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, the herring is completely ready for consumption. Very tasty and tender.
Step-by-step preparation
Let's look at how to prepare dry-salted herring. You will need separate bags for each fish so that it is better salted. Frozen carcasses should be thawed first. Fresh fish must be washed. To reduce salting time, carcasses can be cut or filleted.
The prepared herring should be placed in a clean bag. Then add salt, add sugar, add bay leaf, ground black pepper and allspice. If you wish, you can add any spices and herbs, for example, onions, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and more.
After this, you need to tie the bag and shake the herring thoroughly in your hands so that the salt is evenly distributed throughout the carcass. Send the fish to the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Then they tear off the fin and taste the finished fish. If everything is satisfactory, it is removed from the bag and washed under running water. Dry salted herring is ready to eat. If the fish is not ready, you can continue salting for another 5-6 hours.
This herring can be used for the same dishes as industrial salting. For example, remove bones and skin from the fish, cut into pieces, pour in oil, sprinkle fresh chopped onions on top and serve with boiled potatoes. You can prepare your favorite “Herring under a fur coat” salad.
Dry salting for salting herring at home
This is the easiest way to pickle herring.
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- salt - 2 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon
Preparation:
1. Clean the fish from the entrails, remove the head and remove the skin. Divide the herring into two halves, removing the backbone and all large bones. You should get two fillets.
2. Mix salt and sugar. Coat the fillets with the mixture. Place on a plate and leave at room temperature for 6-7 hours.
3. Transfer the fish to a container and close tightly in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
Spicy salting agent in a bag
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs
- salt - 2 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon
- coriander beans - 1 teaspoon, or ground - 1 teaspoon without a slide
- black peppercorns -7-8 pieces (chopped)
- bay leaf - 2 pcs (chopped)
Preparation:
1. Gut the fish, remove the head, remove the skin and remove large bones. Divide the carcass into two parts.
2. Mix all the spices. Coat the herring with them.
3. Place the fish in a bag and seal it tightly. Leave to lie at room temperature for 5-6 hours. Then refrigerate for 48 hours.
Express method of salting at home
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs.
- salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
- sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon
- ground black pepper - 1/3 teaspoon
- chopped bay leaf - 2 pcs.
To prepare fish according to this recipe, you only need to have fresh herring, since its salting time is only 2 hours.
Preparation:
1. Gut the herring, remove the gills and put it in cold water for 1 hour.
2. Mix spices.
3. Remove the fish from the water and wipe on all sides with a mixture of spices, salt and sugar.
4. Wrap in film and leave to salt at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
In the same way, you can salt herring without using spices, only with salt and sugar. But an indispensable condition for salting fish in this way is that the FISH MUST BE FRESH!
5. Peel the spices with a knife and cut the fish into pieces.
Dry salting using onions and oil
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs
- salt - 4-5 tbsp. spoons
- onion - 2 pcs
- oil - 5-6 tbsp. spoons
Preparation:
1. Clean the fish, remove the head, remove bones and skin. You should end up with boneless fillet.
2. Cut the onion into thin half rings.
3. Rub the fillet with salt. Place in a prepared container, or in a jar. Alternate each layer with onions.
4. Fill with oil. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Then put it in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
Lightly salted spicy herring with lemon
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs
- salt - 2 tbsp. spoons
- sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon
- lemon - 2 pcs
- bay leaf - 4-5 pcs
- black peppercorns - 10 pcs
- allspice - 5 pcs
Preparation:
1. Clean the herring from entrails, skin, bones and head. Rinse it thoroughly.
2. Mix salt and sugar. Cut the lemon into slices.
3. Place herring and lemon slices in a small saucepan in layers, sprinkling with a mixture of salt and sugar and spices.
4. Place a saucer and place a jar of water on it as a press. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
5. After the allotted time, take out the pan, mix the layers and keep in the refrigerator for another 24-48 hours.
By the way, it’s not only here that people like to eat herring. In Holland, for example, they also love it very much and know how to cook it deliciously.
Cooking method
We salt herring using the dry method at home. The cooking process is described in detail below.
After purchasing suitable fish, it must be washed and dried with a napkin. You can also cut off the head and remove the giblets to prevent future inconvenience when eating. Pour salt, sugar and pepper into a deep container. Mix the ingredients until smooth. Rub each fish individually with the mixture prepared in advance. Place it on a dish, cut a square of cling film and wrap each fish in it. If you don’t have film at home, you can also try putting it in a plastic bag, sealing it tightly. Place all the wrapped fish on a shallow plate and refrigerate for two to three days. Every 10 hours it is important to turn the product from one side to the other.
This method of dry salting herring in a bag balances the salt level in the product. Therefore, the fish can be lightly salted or, if you add more salt and salt longer, salted.
Dutch-spiced herring
We will need:
- herring - 2 pcs
- sugar - 6 teaspoons
- onion - 2 pcs
- lemon - 0.5 pcs
- carrots - 1 pc.
- bay leaf - 10 pcs
- peppercorns - 8-10 pcs
Preparation:
1. Thaw and gut the fish. Remove the head, remove the skin and discard the bones.
2. Cut the finished fillet into pieces 2 cm wide.
3. Cut the lemon into thin slices, grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Cut the onion into rings or half rings.
4. Prepare a jar and lay everything out in layers in this order - onion, bay leaf, a little grated carrot, lemon, a whisper of sugar and a little pepper. Then a layer of chopped herring
5. Then the next layer in the same sequence and so on until the ingredients run out, or until we reach the end of the jar.
6. Close the jar tightly with a lid and place in the refrigerator for 3 days.
7. When serving, place the fish in a herring bowl and pour oil over it. If you need to add salt, you can salt it directly in the herring pot.
The fish turns out simply delicious! Very tender, juicy, aromatic and incredibly tasty!
Salting fish
Rinse fresh lemon under running water. Then cut it into thin slices and put it in any container. Mix all the spices: salt, sugar and black pepper in a separate deep bowl. Rinse the herring under running water and dry it with a napkin. You can also discard the head, remove the giblets, or cut into small pieces. Place lemon and fish in layers in glass containers (you can put them in a jar if you don’t have a container). Also add all the spices mixed in a bowl in layers. Cover with a smaller cup and place something heavy on top. Place in the refrigerator for 2 days. After this, take it out, mix and leave for another day. Serve in a dish with sliced fresh lemon.
Rollmops in German
We will need:
- lightly salted herring - 2 pcs (fillet - 4 pcs)
- pickled gherkins – 5 pcs
- bell pepper (red) -1 piece
- onion - 1 pc.
- mustard - 2 tbsp. spoons
- white wine vinegar - 100 ml.
- mustard seeds - 2 teaspoons
- cloves - 3-4 buds
- sugar, salt - 1 teaspoon each
- ground black pepper - 0.5 teaspoon
Preparation:
1. Prepare the marinade. To do this, boil water. Add salt, sugar, pepper and cloves. Boil everything together for 2-3 minutes. Cool the broth a little.
2. Add mustard and wine vinegar. Stir and let cool completely.
3. Cut the onion, bell pepper and gherkins into long thin strips.
4. Lightly beat each layer of fillet and brush with mustard. If the herring is very large, then the fillet can be carefully cut into two equal halves.
5. Place onions, peppers and gherkins across the layer of herring.
6. Roll into a roll and secure with a toothpick.
7. Place roller pies in a bowl and fill with brine. Leave to salt for at least a day. But it is best to keep them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Another quick way - how to pickle whole herring in 1 day
To prepare herring according to this recipe, take:
- Herring – 4 pcs.
- Water - 1 l
- Salt - 4 tbsp. l.
- Sugar - 3 tbsp. l.
- Vinegar (9%) - 3 tbsp. l.
- Bay leaf - 5 pcs
- Allspice – 7 pcs
We take the herring out of the refrigerator and defrost it. We clean the entrails and cut off the head and tail.
Prepare the marinade. Dissolve salt and sugar in boiled water, then add vinegar. We put the herring in a jar, where we will salt it.
Now pour the cooled marinade over the fish. Add spices: pepper and bay leaf. Place the jar in the refrigerator. After a day you can take out and enjoy delicious herring
Secrets of making delicious salted herring at home
- It is better to choose ocean herring for salting; coastal seas are often polluted with waste and harmful toxins.
- The herring should be either chilled or frozen, but you should make sure that it is not old. Fresh fish has a natural silver color, bulging light-colored eyes, fins and gills tightly pressed to the body. Therefore, to determine the freshness of fish, do not buy it without the head.
- You should choose large carcasses that do not have mechanical damage, preferably “boys”. Although it should be noted that this issue is highly controversial. “Girls” have more tender and lighter meat.
- It is also believed that herring caught in winter gains more fat, so after salting it will be more tender and tasty. For salting, you need to choose large silver carcasses with a uniform color, then the appetizer will always turn out just right!
- Frozen fish should not be defrosted in warm water or in the microwave, but only at room temperature. Or even better in the refrigerator, at a temperature of +4 degrees. So that the defrosting process occurs naturally.
- You can salt both a gutted carcass and a non-gutted one. If you salt the whole fish, it is better to leave the head, you just need to remove the gills. They give a bitter taste when pickled. After cleaning, the herring should be thoroughly washed in plenty of running water.
- Herring is salted both whole and in pieces. With or without skin and bones.
- Often whole cleaned carcasses are kept in cold water for 30-60 minutes. In this case, the herring becomes even juicier.
- When salting, do not use iodized salt.
- You can salt fish in glass, plastic or enamel containers. It is advisable that the container has a well-closing lid. Otherwise, the refrigerator will smell like fish.
- When dry salting, use a plastic bag or cling film.
- After keeping the fish at room temperature for several hours, it should be stored in the refrigerator.
- The most delicious herring is salted whole together with its entrails. This herring needs to be salted for at least three days and can be stored in a salty solution for a week.
- If you don’t want to wait that long, you can fillet the fish, cut it into pieces and salt it. This fish will be ready in a few hours.
- If the herring has not been eaten during this time, then it must be removed from the brine, cut into pieces, put into a jar and poured with oil.
- If for some reason you have over-salted the herring, or it has been in the brine for too long, then you can soak it in cold milk for two hours. Excess salt will be released into the milk, and the herring will be tasty again.
general information
Salted herring is one of the favorite Russian snacks. It is eaten not only on holidays, but also on weekdays. The fish is served on the table along with boiled potatoes. And if you complement the dish with pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut, you will get a real feast.
Many residents of our country are confident that salted herring is a Russian invention. Unfortunately, it is not. Holland is considered the birthplace of this snack. It was here in the 15th century that an ordinary fisherman, Willem Beukelzoon, came up with a way to process herring. The fact is that the fish had a bitter taste, which is why it was not popular with local residents. Salting herring in brine helped get rid of this problem. First, the gills were removed, and then the marinade was prepared.
Nowadays, salted herring can be purchased at almost every step. But Russians are not always satisfied with their purchase. It is very difficult to determine the freshness and degree of salinity of a product by appearance and smell. Therefore, you have to rely on the Russian maybe.
Having bought over-salted, dry or tasteless fish once, a person loses all desire to buy it in the store. In this regard, people decide to salt fish at home. At first glance, this process seems simple and understandable: I simply cleaned the herring, sprinkled it with salt and dill, waited a few hours and served it with boiled potatoes. The main thing is to prepare a good brine for the herring. Each housewife has her own recipe. Some people generously season the fish with oil and vinegar, while others use a large amount of spices and spices. We will talk about how to salt herring in brine in various ways below.
How and with what to serve lightly salted herring
Of course, before serving, especially if you are preparing to welcome guests, the herring must be cleaned.
Serving herring with bones and skin is very ugly! This is disrespect for guests, and discredits you as the hostess of the house!
Moreover, this is not difficult to do. An incision should be made along the back and the tip of the skin should be pulled. As a rule, the skin peels easily and quickly. The backbone and bones are also easy and simple to remove. But it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.
The most famous and delicious way of serving is to cut the herring into beautiful uniform pieces, sprinkle it with onions, cut into rings or half rings and season with vegetable oil. For those who like it spicy, you can sprinkle freshly ground pepper on top.
Often, herring is seasoned not only with oil, but also with freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can also decorate a dish with herring with lemon. And then, if desired, everyone can season the fish with lemon juice.
The dish is also decorated with fresh herbs, green onions, cranberries, olives or black olives. It always looks beautiful and only adds to your appetite.
On holidays such as New Year or Birthday, you can serve herring on prefabricated fish plates. In addition to the above ingredients, you can also decorate with fresh or pickled cucumbers, tomatoes and even canned mushrooms. These plates look very beautiful and are always especially popular among appetizers.
The herring is served with potatoes, which are pre-boiled either in their jackets, or peeled and boiled whole or in pieces. You can serve this fish with fried, baked potatoes and even mashed potatoes.
Lightly salted herring is widely used in the preparation of various appetizers and salads. Sandwiches and canapés are prepared using it. There are a huge number of options, and if desired, they can be easily found on the Internet.
Delicious herring butter or a more complex appetizer called forshmak is made from herring.
And no matter how you serve herring, it is always a wonderful appetizer and an indispensable dish on the holiday table. And of course, the most delicious one always seems to be the one you prepare yourself.
Bon appetit!
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