Salted herring - 17 best recipes. How to salt herring at home in a tasty way?

Homemade herring has enough opponents, and only because you don’t really want to mess around and wait a long time for the delicious tasty fish to be ready. Of course, the easiest way is to go and buy ready-made herring in a store or market. But probably every housewife has had a situation in her life when the purchased fish turned out to be too salted or under-salted, with blood protruding. And it is not known what ingredients are used for pickling.

Therefore, it is better to prepare spicy salted herring at home. Keep in mind that the recipes below are suitable for any fish, just as you can salt mackerel or pink salmon.

The ideal side dish for herring is potato dishes. It can be fried or boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, potatoes cooked in a country style or baked in the oven.

Herring marinated in oil

Large herring (not salted) - 1 pc.;
vegetable oil - 1/4 cup;
onion - 1/2 pcs.;
pink pepper - 1/4 tsp;
mustard beans - 1/4 tsp;
white pepper - 6 grains;
bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
salt - 1 tsp.

Heat the vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes, avoiding the appearance of smoke. Cool it down. Gut the herring, cut off the head and tail, cut into fillets. Remove the skin from the fillet, then cut it crosswise into 1-1.5 cm pieces, add salt. Cut the onion into rings.

Layer pieces of herring, onion rings, bay leaves, and spices in a glass jar. Pour oil over the herring, cover with a lid and refrigerate for 2-3 days.

Herring in hot vinegar sauce

Large herring (not salted) - 1 pc.;
carrots - 1 pc.;
red onion - 1 pc.;
vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l.;
lemon slice - 12 pcs.;
bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
mixture of peppers (black, allspice, white) - 1/4 tbsp. l.;
white wine vinegar - 50 ml;
water - 120 ml;
sugar - 1 tsp;
salt - 1 tsp.

Gut the herring, cut off the head and tail, cut into fillets. Remove the skin from the fillet, then cut it crosswise into 1-1.5 cm pieces, add salt and set aside.

Peel the carrots and cut into thin strips. Cut the peeled onion into thin rings. Boil water in a saucepan, add salt, sugar, bay leaf, pepper. Blanch the carrots in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then remove them. Bring the marinade to a boil again and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Layer herring, onions, carrots, and lemon slices in a glass jar. Remove the marinade from heat, pour vinegar into it and pour the hot sauce over the herring. Cover with a lid, cool and refrigerate for at least a day.

How to pickle herring - recipes

We emphasize that all the recipes given can be used not only for herring, but also for mackerel and red fish.

You can vary the proportions and composition of spices according to your taste. If you think that bay leaf or allspice interrupts the original taste of the herring, you can omit adding them to the brine. But you shouldn’t do this right away - first get your teeth into it by mastering proven recipes in practice.

The easiest way to pickle herring

Ingredients:

2 large herrings (or 3 medium ones);
0.6-0.8 l of water;
coarse salt without iodine - 1.5-2 tbsp. spoons;
sugar – 1-2 teaspoons.

Preparation:

Prepare the brine by mixing and boiling water with salt and sugar dissolved in it.

While the brine is cooking, prepare the pre-frozen fish.

It is best to take the herring whole, with the head and entrails. This way it is salted more evenly, preserving its natural taste. But if speed is your priority, you can gut the fish by removing the head, intestines, dark films inside the abdomen, and tail. In this form, a few hours are enough to get lightly salted herring, ready to eat.

Place the prepared fish in a glass or plastic container. Enameled dishes are also suitable, but other metal containers will give an unpleasant aftertaste.

Cool the brine to +20-25°C and pour in the prepared fish. Leave for 1 hour at room temperature.
We put it in a cool place (refrigerator or balcony). The optimal temperature for pickling is the range from +1 to +10°C.

Salting time varies from two days to a week. It depends on how strongly you want to pickle the herring.

Homemade spicy herring

Ingredients:

herring – 1 kg;
salt (without iodine) – 6 table. spoons without a slide;
allspice – peas – 10 pcs.;
granulated sugar - 3 tables. spoons;
bay leaf – 2-3 pcs.;
water – 1 liter.

Preparation:

First of all, prepare the marinade.

Bring the water to a boil.
Pour sugar, salt and spices into boiling water.
Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Cool naturally.

While the marinade is cooling, prepare the pre-thawed herring.

Fill the carcasses with chilled brine in a suitable container so as to cover them entirely.
We put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for three days. To ensure that the herring is well salted, it is advisable to turn it over in the brine once a day.

If you salt the herring this way, then you can use it for salads and sandwiches, or simply cut it into pieces and serve with pickled onions.

Spiced herring “Lyubitelskaya” (with cloves)

Ingredients:

2 large fish;
water – 1 l;
salt (coarse) – 2-3 tbsp. with a slide;
1.5 tsp. granulated sugar;
black pepper and allspice peas - 10 pieces each;
bay leaf – 3-4 pcs.
cloves – 5 pcs.

Preparation:

Boil water, add salt, sugar, spices. Mix everything and bring to a boil again.
Similar to previous recipes, prepared carcasses in an appropriate container are poured with cooled brine.
After an hour, put the dishes with fish in the refrigerator for salting.

Spicy herring with mustard

Ingredients:

2 fish;
1 liter of water;
2 tbsp. ready mustard;
5 tbsp. salt;
3 tbsp. Sahara;
1 tbsp. coriander seeds;
1 tbsp. chopped dill (fresh or dry);
1 tsp black peppercorns;
10 pieces. bay leaves.

Preparation:

Defrost and washed fish, removing the gills, spread thickly with mustard and place in a container intended for salting.
Boil water, adding all other spices. Cool naturally.
Pour the mustard-coated carcasses into the same container and leave for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, place the dish with the herring in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

How to pickle herring in brine

The difficulty with this recipe is that the slightest damage to the surface of the fish can lead to it being over-salted in these areas. But if you are careful and choose high-quality, ideal carcasses, you will be guaranteed a great-tasting salted herring!

Preparation of brine for 2 large fish:

Boil about 1 liter of water.
Pour salt into hot water in small portions until it stops dissolving.

You can check the readiness of the brine using a fresh chicken egg: in the brine of the required concentration, it floats on the surface.

If you like your salted herring to have a piquant flavor of spices, before dissolving the salt, add a little bay leaf, a few coriander grains, black and allspice peas, and a little cloves to the boiling water.

Next, fill the prepared herring in a suitable container with cooled brine, leave for 1 hour in a warm place, and then put it in the refrigerator for a day or two.

How to dry pickle herring

This recipe is suitable for those who, for some reason, do not want to bother with preparing the brine. Again, this pickling doesn’t require a lot of refrigerator space.

Ingredients:

2 large herrings;
3 tsp salt;
2 tsp Sahara;
3 tsp ground black pepper.

You will also need paper towels (or napkins) and cling film.

Preparation:

We wash thawed carcasses without gills with cold water and dry them thoroughly, blotting them with paper towels.
Mix salt, sugar, pepper.
Rub the resulting mixture onto the fish, distributing the spices evenly, including in the cavity from which the gills were removed.
We wrap the coated herring tightly in 3-4 layers of cling film and put it in the refrigerator for two days.

Quick dry salting

In order to salt herring in this way, 4 hours are enough (excluding defrosting time). An ideal option if you have unexpected guests, and you decided to serve your favorite fish.

Ingredients for 1 large fish:

2 tsp salt;
1 tsp Sahara.

Just like in the previous recipe, you will need cling film, paper napkins or towels.

At the last stage of preparation you will need

onion;
sunflower oil with flavor.

Preparation:

Soak the defrosted herring in a container with cold water for 1 hour.
We thoroughly gut the carcass, removing the tail, head, and entrails along with the black films.
Dry the gutted and washed fish with paper towels.
Having mixed salt and sugar, rub the prepared herring with this mixture and, wrapping it in cling film, leave it at room temperature for 2-2.5 hours.
After waiting the time required for salting, we take the carcass out of the film and carefully rinse it from the curing mixture in cool water. Dry again with paper.
Chop the onion into half rings and pour vegetable oil into a glass or plastic bowl. Place the fish in the container and let it cool for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Basically, the fish is ready. When guests arrive, all that remains is to take it out, peel it from skin and bones, cut it into pieces and arrange it beautifully. Onion rings and fresh dill will help revive the still life.

Dry pickled herring in a bag

Ingredients for salting 2 fish:

2 tbsp. salt;
1 tbsp. Sahara;
1 tbsp. ready-made seasoning for salting fish.

Additionally, you will need two thick plastic bags to seal the fish tightly.

Preparation:

Mix salt, sugar and seasoning in a cup.
Hold the prepared defrosted herring over the open bag and sprinkle it with the resulting mixture.
Place the sprinkled fish in a bag and tie it. To be safe, we put this bag in the second one (so that the brine that will be released does not leak).
We put the bag in the refrigerator. After a day, turn it over, shaking the fish. Leave it for another day.

After two days the fish will be ready. It’s great that it can be stored in the same brine for up to a week - it will not become over-salted at all, retaining its original delicate taste.

Spiced herring in a jar

For 1-2 fish you will need :

0.5 l of water;
2 tbsp. salt;
0.5 tsp Sahara;
2-3 peas each of black and allspice;
2 pcs. carnations;
2-3 bay leaves;
0.5 tsp each coriander and dill seeds (or dried cilantro and dill);

Preparation:

Bring water to a boil, add all the spices. Boil for 2-3 minutes, leave to cool.
Gut the thawed herring and cut it into portions.
Place the herring pieces in a jar and fill with cooled brine. Leave at room temperature for 4-5 days.

Herring in vinegar in a jar

You may have concerns: “How to pickle herring with vinegar? Will it turn out sour? This recipe will clear your doubts! The fish turns out tender, melts in your mouth, and is incredibly tasty.

Ingredients for brine for 2 fish:

100 ml water;
100 ml vegetable oil;
1 tsp with a heap of salt;
1 tsp Sahara;
1-2 tsp. vinegar 9%;
1 tsp ready mustard;
fresh dill.

Vinegar can be added gradually: 1 tsp. immediately, the next day after taking the sample - another spoon (if desired).

At your discretion, you can make the taste of the fish more spicy by adding peppercorns or coriander grains to the marinade.

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients of the marinade to cooled boiled water.
We fillet the defrosted herring and cut it into pieces.
Place the pieces of herring in a jar, sprinkling the layers with chopped dill.
Pour in the prepared marinade, cover with a lid, and place in the refrigerator.

Herring in vinegar will be ready in a day or two. Once you try it, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Herring in Korean

Ingredients for 1 kg of fish:

100 ml vegetable oil;
1 onion;
1 tbsp. salt;
1 tbsp. Sahara;
1 tsp spicy adjika;
1 tsp ground black pepper;
1 tsp ready-made seasoning for Korean carrots;
100 ml vinegar 9%.

Preparation:

We cut the defrosted herring into fillets and cut them into pieces of 4-5 cm.
Chop the onion and fry in vegetable oil until transparent.
Remove the onion from the oil with a slotted spoon and add all the other ingredients for the filling into the hot oil.
Combine herring fillet, fried onion, calcined oil with spices. Mix everything thoroughly and put it in a cool place for a day.

There is another option to cook delicious herring in Korean. Onions are not fried in it, and a different set of spices is used.

Herring in oil filling

Ingredients for 2 medium fish:

100 ml vegetable oil;
half a large onion;
3 pcs. carnations;
4 peas of allspice;
3 small bay leaves;
1 tsp salt.

Preparation:

Heat the oil until light smoke appears. Pour all the spices into it and chop the onion.
When the onion becomes transparent, turn off the heat and cool the oil filling to room temperature.
We fillet the herring and cut it into small pieces, put it in a jar (0.5 l is enough).
Pour the prepared herring with marinade so that the fish is completely covered. Close the jar hermetically and put it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Herring in mayonnaise sauce

Ingredients for 1 large herring:

200 gr. mayonnaise;
1 tsp salt;
1 tsp Sahara;
1 tsp black pepper (ground).

Preparation:

Place the chopped herring (fillet) into pieces into a small jar.
Mix mayonnaise with sugar, salt and pepper.
Pour the resulting marinade over the herring, cover with a lid, and put it in the refrigerator.

In just two days, soft, fabulously tender herring in mayonnaise will be ready. Not only is the fish delicious, but so is the sauce.

Herring in vinegar sauce with garlic

This unique filling with garlic will appeal to lovers of unusual, savory dishes.

Ingredients for 1 kg of fresh frozen fish:

200 ml vegetable oil;
200 ml of boiled water at room temperature;
1 tsp vinegar 70%;
head of garlic;
medium sized onion;
salt.

Preparation:

Gut the herring and cut it into pieces.
Cut the onion into half rings, chop the garlic with a knife or through a press.
Place layers in enamel, plastic or glass containers, alternating onions, garlic and fish. Add a little salt to each layer. The top layer must be made of onions and garlic.
Add vinegar to cold boiled water and pour the resulting marinade over the prepared herring.
After an hour, add vegetable oil to the container and mix carefully, trying to leave the fish without damage.
Cover the container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for a day.

Spiced herring in onion broth

Herring (not salted) - 3 pcs.;
salt - 3 tbsp. l.;
sugar - 2 tbsp. l.;
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp;
bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
black pepper - 6 peas;
allspice - 6 peas;
cloves - 1 pc.;
water - 500 ml;
onion peel.

Prepare the brine: bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add the washed onion skins, cook for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and discard the husks. Add salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaf, cloves to the broth, bring to a boil and cook for 7-8 minutes. Cool the marinade.

Gut the herring, cut off the head and tail, cut into fillets, removing the backbone. Remove the skin from the fillet. Place the herring in a suitable container with a lid, sprinkle with mustard, and pour in cold brine. Place a small weight on top, for example, a flat plate. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 2 days.

Useful tips and tricks

If you follow useful tips and recommendations, you will not have any difficulties when salting fish:

To quickly cut a fish carcass, remove the head and tail, carefully cut the belly and remove the entrails. Then you will need to turn the carcass over, lay it flat and press with your palm so that the ingredient is flattened on the board. Afterwards, you will need to turn the workpiece over and find the beginning of the ridge. Hold the fish fillet with one hand and remove the spine with the other.
A fresh fish carcass should have rounded sides and a uniform steel-blue skin tone, light gills, and slightly whitish and sunken eyes.
A stale product is indicated by brownish stripes and yellowish markings that look like rust.
If the flesh of the fish is too soft, it means it has been frozen several times. This product is not suitable for salting, as it will fall apart and have an unpleasant taste and odor.
When using frozen fish, the defrosting process should proceed slowly in the lower part of the refrigerator, without using a microwave oven or other heat methods.
It is not recommended to purchase fresh frozen fish without a head, since this is how you can more accurately determine how fresh the product is.
It is recommended to salt the whole fish, removing only the gills. The salting process will take less than 2 days. It can be stored in brine for about 7 days.
To quickly salt a fish carcass, it is recommended to remove the skin and cut the fillet into pieces.
If the fish has been over-salted, it is recommended to wash it and soak it in milk for 2 hours.
To salt the sirloin, it is advisable to use the dry method, because after cutting the carcass, the elasticity of the flesh is impaired.
It is best to salt a whole carcass in a suitable-sized plastic container with an airtight lid. Pieces of fish can be salted in a glass container. It is not recommended to use a metal container because the salt brine reacts with the metal in a short period of time.
There should be few spices for salting. Otherwise, they will clog the main taste and smell of fish.
When quick salting, fish pieces must be consumed immediately. If this is not done, the product should be transferred to a glass container and coated with sunflower seed oil on top.
Herring that was caught in winter has fattier meat. Therefore, the snack will turn out much tastier, more tender and aromatic.

Salted herring, made in various ways, always has a sour taste and rich aroma. There are many recipes that allow you to salt fish at home in a short period of time. At the same time, the calorie content of the snack will not be too high, which allows you to include it in your diet.

Herring in brine

Salt - 120 g per 1 liter of water for brine;
frozen herring – 5 pcs. medium size;
bay leaf - 3 pcs.;
allspice - 6 peas;
star anise - 1 pc.

Thaw the herring slowly in the refrigerator in a closed container. Prepare brine (saturated brine solution). Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, then add salt little by little, stirring until completely dissolved. When the salt stops dissolving, stop adding it. Add bay leaf and other spices to the brine, cook for 3-4 minutes, then cool completely.

Wash the fish. It is better to remove the gills; they can impart bitterness. Do not gut the herring. Place the prepared fish in a suitable container, pour in the cooled brine so that it is completely covered with brine. Put a light pressure on top so that the fish does not float up, close the lid and leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator. On the second day, the color of the brine will change - it will turn brown. The fish is salted until cooked within 3-4 days.

The herring is ready when, when cut along the back along the ridge, there are no traces of blood left, and the meat acquires an even light color.

Basic principles of salting fish

To properly salt herring at home, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the basic rules for salting fish:

For production, it is advisable to buy Pacific or Atlantic herring, which must be chilled.
The fish carcass must have a head and fins. If they are cut off, it means the product may be spoiled. Therefore, it is advisable to take a whole carcass and then cut it up with your own hands.
If the herring is frozen, do not defrost it using warm water or a microwave oven. The defrosting process must occur under natural conditions. To do this, place the fish on a plate and place it in the refrigerator compartment until the product is completely defrosted.
For salting, it is not advisable to use very fine or iodized salt. The latter will ruin the taste, while the former can oversalt the product.
Before starting cooking, the fish must be rinsed very well under a stream of cool water to wash away all the mucus and remaining blood clots.
When removing the head, it is imperative to remove all the insides of the fish. You should also clean the carcass of black film.
To obtain a more juicy snack, it is recommended to keep the herring in cool water for 40 minutes.
The shelf life of lightly salted fish is approximately 2 days. The heavily salted carcass must be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator compartment for 7 days.
If you are not sure about the degree of readiness of the product, the fish must be sent back to the brine or additionally sprinkled with spices on top.
To avoid an unpleasant odor from the finished fish, during cutting you need to remove the fat along the very edge of the belly of the carcass.

Herring in wine sauce

Salted herring (for example, dry salted) - 2 pcs.;
dry red wine - 1 glass;
sugar - 100 g;
red wine vinegar - 100 ml;
coriander seeds - 2 tbsp. l.;
cloves - 2 pcs.;
bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
salt.

Prepare the marinade: bring wine, salt, sugar, cloves, coriander to a boil in a saucepan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add vinegar and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, taste and add salt or sugar to taste if necessary.

Peel the skin from the herring fillet, place in a suitable container and pour in the marinade so that it completely covers the fish. Place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.