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Herring spoils so fast it is almost always eaten salted, pickled or smoked. I’ve eaten (and made) herring in all these forms, but there is something special that makes pickled herring so popular, especially in Northern Europe.
I think it’s because the acidic twang of the vinegar and lemon counteract the rich fattiness of the herring fillets — these fish are among the foods highest in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The addition of spices, sugar and onion add a personal touch.
This particular recipe is for Swedish glasmastarsill, or glassblower’s herring. Why it is called that I have no idea. Best I can tell it is because this pickle is always put up in glass jars, with the silvery skin of the herring facing outward. Let’s face it, folks: For a pickled little bony fish, this is as pretty as it gets.
Most pickled herring recipes start with pre-salted herring — the kind that come in cans. If you use these, skip the salt in the initial brine and soak the fish in fresh water overnight. They’ll still be plenty salty.
Having some salt in the fish is important: I once made this recipe with fresh herring that I failed to brine, and they turned to mush within 2 weeks. A disaster. You need the salt to extract extra moisture from the fish and keep them firm.
I like these just as a snack, with pumpernickel or rye bread, potatoes of any kind, hard-boiled eggs — or just on a cracker.
If you are so inclined, here is a good primer on food safety when pickling fish, from the University of Minnesota.
Swedish Pickled Herring
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 5 cups water, divided
- 1 pound herring fillets
- 2 cups distilled or white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 2 teaspoons whole allspice
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat 4 cups of water enough to dissolve salt. Let this brine cool to room temperature. When it does, submerge the herring fillets in the brine and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, bring the sugar, vinegar, the remaining cup of water and all the spices to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let this steep until cool.
- When the herring have brined, layer them in a glass jar with the sliced lemon and red onion. Divide the spices between your containers if you are using more than one. Pour over the cooled pickling liquid and seal the jars. Wait at least a day before eating. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sorry, Ken. No idea. Season is pretty much over for them now, anyways. Next year I will gather a pile of ’em and invite you over!
This is just a thing of beauty! I have ben driving myself crazy trying to find raw fresh herring in Stockton, with no luck. It just isn’t the same with sardines or other little fish. Just not fat enough. I know you fished for these, but do you know if they can be bought somewhere in the Bay area?
SeattleDee: They are EASY to fillet! And you don’t need to deal with the teeny bones within the fillets because they are so small — the vinegar dissolves them to the point where you don’t even notice them.
You make it sound tempting, but I learned my lesson long ago – let someone else do the work! Perhaps I’ll use your recipe in Petersburg this year IF there’s an easier way to debone those silver critters.
https://otm-cruisenews.blogspot.com/2008/09/great-herring-experiment.html
Never tried this, what would be a better substitute of this fish? do you have any other sugesstions?
Should one have to order 20 lbs, is there a way to store these that doesn’t involve the fridge? Can they be canned in a hot water bath? I’d imagine pressure canning would ruin the texture … but for those of us who don’t want to waste the electricity on an extra fridge (and who even feel a little guilty about the standing freezer in the basement) — what to do? They’ve been pickling herring for hundreds of years before there were refrigerators … any ideas?
MNAngler: Thanks for sharing! We can’t get pike here in California, so it’s good to see someone else’s experience.
Cathy: I think you just add sour cream. I don’t like pickled herring in cream, so I don’t make it. Sorry!
Amelia: Thanks! Crossing my fingers for a win at IACP this summer! As for other fishies, yes, this will work with sardines, large anchovies, teeny mackerel, Great Lakes whitefish, big smelt, etc.
Heather: Never tried that, but brining the fish keeps them pretty firm for a month or so.
Maria: Heh. I think you are about as far away from herring as is humanly possible. There must be some sort of little fish that lives around Australia, though.
Olenka: You need to ask your fish market over and over and over, and be willing to but 20 pounds if need be; that happens a lot with special orders. See the comments above for other fish that will work with this besides herring.
It’s looks yummy!!!!!but where ?I can get raw herring in US? I tried 1000 times:(can you help me?
I used to make this at home in Finland all the time, but unfortunately I can’t get fresh herring here in Australia! Definitely my favourite and the shop bought herring is an ok substitute 😉
So pretty! Have you ever tried using a little CaCl to maintain firmness of the fillets? Or does salt do a fine job by itself?
These look absolutely gorgeous! I’ve never tried pickling herring myself, but I definitely know my resource if I decide to!
great little gifts to bring over at friends. Must be delicious on toasted sourbread toast. do you think it would be good with other small blue fish, like anchovies?
P.s. congrats on the recent nomination!
These jars are gorgeous! I love pickled herring, but have a serious yen for the creamed pickled herring my grandmother made (recipe lost to time – so sad!) Would you just drain these and add onions and sour cream? Or is it a different recipe altogether?
You can definitely pickle Northern Pike. I did it several years ago and documented the process on my blog. It’s one of my most popular posts to date. The process was not too unlike what Hank has here.
If you want to see my posts, start here:
https://www.journalofamnangler.com/2009/11/05/pickled-northern-step-1/
(I hope you don’t mind some shameless self-promotion on your blog, Hank.)
Florian: If you do this with shad, slice the fillets into 1-2 inch strips. That will open up more surface area to dissolve the many bones.
Paul: That’d be cool! I know the Swedes do something like this, only I can’t remember what its name is, exactly.
Scott: Yes, only cut the fillets into thin strips, and remember pike have an extra set of bones. Do you know the “triple fillet” technique with pike? You get three long thin fillets, one on either side of the fish below the extra bones, then one on top that starts where the extra bones begin. Works like a charm with pike.
Carolina: Oooh, you have bluebacks in the Roanoke, too? God I miss those fish.
It’s time to head up to the Roanoke River.
Can I do the same thing with Northern Pike?
SO under rated in the UK, but fantastic eating
Thanks for putting this one up, I must have a go myself
Cheers
SBW
I’d love to see how the fish looks if you cooked some diced beet in the pickling liquid to extract the red color and then pickled the fish in the resultant red pickle juice. I’ve got a few jars of quail eggs I did that way and they’re a beautiful pink color through the white.
These look delicious! I remember eating some very good herrings served in a mix of pickling liquid and sour cream. Hopefully I’ll get hold of some shad this season and try it.