How to pickle herring at home

Salted herring is rightfully considered a national dish. It is served as a stand-alone snack or side dish. Herring is often added to salads, giving the final product a refined, salty taste. Shop products are crammed with emulsifiers and stabilizers, which increase the shelf life, taste, color, texture, etc. Not everyone knows, but salting herring can be done independently, most importantly, observe important features. Consider the most delicious recipes in order.

Practical recommendations

1. Herring, which had not previously been frozen, is ideal for homemade salting. Refuse to buy a frozen headless carcass. It could be processed several times, as a result of which the quality is in doubt.
2. Baltic herring contains toxins and heavy metals, for this reason do not choose this kind of fish for salting. Give preference to the Atlantic or Pacific herring, it is allowed to use fresh-frozen carcasses (2-3 hours from the time of freezing).
3. To choose a quality herring, pay attention to the color, it should be uniform. Also, bulging eyes pressed to the carcass of the gills and fins also speak about the quality of the fish.
4. Do not buy a herring whose body is dented, broken, has an unevenly distributed scale. Important attention should be paid to the structure of the carcass: specimens with caviar inside are dry, less saturated, while herring stuffed with milk has a pronounced taste and texture.

Herring in brine: “a classic of the genre”

• fresh herring - 1.2 kg.
• small salt - 125 gr.
• granulated sugar - 75 g.
• bay leaf - 5 pcs.
• peppercorns - 12 pcs.
• drinking water - 2.4 l.

1. To cook herring according to the classic recipe, you can use Pacific fresh-frozen carcass. In this case, it must be thawed at room temperature to its original state.
2. Regardless of the option of freezing or lack thereof, fish should be washed before salting. To do this, prepare a solution of 1.5 liters. filtered water and 45 ml. table vinegar (optionally replaced with lemon juice). Such a move will eliminate the unpleasant fish smell, which spoils the whole impression of consumption.
3. After rinsing the carcass, cut the gills, pull out the inside of the holes obtained. Remove the fins, remove the caviar or milk, rinse, then shove it back into the belly. Since the fish is salted whole, this step cannot be skipped, just like chopping the carcass into pieces and cutting off the head.
4. After preparation, place the fish on paper towels so that the glass is excess moisture. Start cooking brine. Pour purified water into an enameled pan, add granulated sugar, salt and other spices. Put the container on the stove, simmer until the crystals dissolve. Next, cover the solution with a lid, let cool to room temperature.
5. Prepare a wide container in which the ambassador will be made. The main thing is that the container is tightly clogged and interferes with the whole carcass. Place fish at the bottom of the container, fill with brine, plug, leave for 5 hours. After the time has passed, move the container to the cold for another 12-14 hours.
6. After the set time, the fish will become salted. If you keep it in the refrigerator for another 24 hours, the herring will gain a full (moderate) ambassador. It all depends on personal preferences. Before use, you can rinse the carcass or skip this step.

Herring in oil

• fresh-frozen herring - 1.1-1.3 kg.
• white onions - 600 gr.
• table salt - 120 gr.
• corn or sunflower oil - 185 ml.

1. Defrost herring in a natural way, wash it under running water, remove the scales, if possible, remove the skin completely. Cut off the fins, remove the intestines, scrape dark inclusions from the abdominal cavity. Pull out the ridge, you only need the fillet.
2. Rinse the pulp with an acidified solution, which can be prepared from 1.3 liters. filtered water and 55 ml. lemon juice (table vinegar concentration of 6%). Cut the loin into slices (about 3 cm thick).
3. Cut the white onion into rings, rub the portioned slices with salt. Prepare a container for salting, the ideal option is a glass tank with a plastic lid. Sterilize the container, wipe and dry it.
4. Start laying the ingredients, alternating onions with pieces of herring. After the components are tightly packed, fill them with oil. It is important that it covers the herring completely.
5. The duration of salting in the refrigerator is at least 24 hours. If you want a richer taste, soak the fish for 2 days, periodically opening the jar and tasting the composition. Serve as a snack with mashed potatoes or add slices of herring to salads.

Salted Herring

• herring - 1.4 kg.
• sugar (preferably beetroot) - 35 gr.
• salt - 40 gr.
• ground black pepper - 5 gr.
• peppercorns - 4 pcs.
• laurel leaf - 4 pcs.
• 6% acetic solution - 30 ml.
• drinking water - 550 ml.
• red onion - 1 pc.

1. Pour water into an enameled pan, add spices, granulated sugar, table salt. Never pour vinegar at this stage. Put the dishes on the fire, bring to a boil under the lid, simmer the composition at low power for 5 minutes.
2. Next, remove the pan from the stove, leave for 2 hours, then pour in the vinegar solution and mix. Cool the brine completely, proceed to cleanse the fish.
3. Clean the carcass of scales, fins and tail. Remove the insides, the dark film, cut off the head if desired. Rinse the fish first under running water, then dry with a napkin.
4. Now rinse the carcass with a solution of 1.5 liters. water and 60 ml. lemon juice to remove bad breath. Cut the herring into slices about 5 cm wide.
5. Choose a jar of suitable size, boil it over low heat for 15 minutes (for sterilization). Dry the bowl, chop onions.
6. Begin ramming herring with half rings with bows in layers. When all the components are stacked in a jar, fill them with cooked brine with spices. Send to the refrigerator for 1.5 days, do not rinse before use.

Don herring in brine

• cold drinking water - 1.2 l.
• coarse salt - 130 gr.
• Don herring - 2 pcs.

1. Not many people know, but Don herring has a creamy aftertaste and a high percentage of fat content. For this reason, many housewives prefer to salt this particular type of fish.
2. To begin the procedure, scrape off the scales with a knife, remove the gills and fins, make an incision on the belly, remove the intestines and dark plaque.
3. Rinse herring first under running water, then dry and rinse with lemon solution (50 ml of juice accounts for 1.1 liters of pure water).
4. The traditional recipe for cooking involves the use of highly concentrated brine (toulouse). To prepare it, dissolve coarse salt in water and mix until crystals are completely dissolved.
5. Prepare a container for storing food or heating food in the microwave, wash and dry it. You can salt the whole herring or cut into pieces about 4 cm wide. It all depends on personal preferences.
6. Lay the fish in layers, place a heavy object (oppression), clog the container, put in the refrigerator. Since the Don herring is 25% fatter than the Pacific herring, it will take two days to become salted. If desired, increase the duration of the salting.

Dry herring ambassador

• Pacific herring - 800 gr.
• coarse salt (not iodized) - 30 gr.
• sugar - 20 gr.
• spices (any) - to taste

1. Gut the herring, rinse it under the tap, pat it with paper towels. If you wish, cut the carcass into slices, after removing the ridge and skin. Many people prefer to salt the whole herring, it all depends on personal preferences.
2. Combine granulated sugar and salt, add seasonings to taste (any). Pack the whole carcass or portioned pieces in an airtight bag or wrap with plastic wrap. Place in a food storage container.
3. Soak the herring in the refrigerator for at least 2 days, then evaluate the result. If the fish is not salted enough, increase the duration of the salting to 3 days.

Fast herring ambassador

• fresh herring - 1.3 kg.
• granulated sugar - 40 gr.
• salt - 45 gr.
• ground pepper (black) - 7 gr.
• bay leaf - 2 pcs.
• vegetable oil - 60 ml.
• table vinegar - 35 ml.

1. Gut the herring, cut off the gills and pull out the entrails through the holes obtained. Remove fins, wash caviar or milk (if any), then place back.
2. Wash the fish under the tap, then pour cold water into the basin and place the carcass in a bowl for 45 minutes. When the specified period has passed, dry the fish with a napkin, rinse with a solution of vinegar and water (1: 8 ratio).
3. Grind the bay leaf in a coffee grinder until flour, mix it with ground pepper, sugar and salt. With the resulting mixture of spices, grate the herring carcasses, wrap the fish in a cling film.
4. Leave the product at room temperature for 3 hours. When this period expires, remove the carcass, chop into pieces. Mix vinegar with vegetable oil, pour portioned herring slices into it and serve.

Marinade herring

• carrots - 1 pc.
• sugar - 145 gr.
• purple onions - 2 pcs.
• lemon - ½ pcs.
• fresh herring - 2 pcs.
• ground black pepper - 8 gr.
• laurel leaf - 8 pcs.

1. This method of salting is called "Dutch" due to the fact that the herring is moderately salty and saturated. Clean the carcass of scales and skin, remove the fins, gills, and the inside. Remove the ridge, you only need the fillet.
2. Wash the flesh under running water, pat dry with napkins or towels, chop into thin slices (about 3 cm thick). Cut half a lemon with a sharp knife into half rings, do the same with onions.
3. Grind a leaf of laurel into powder, mix with black pepper. Peel the carrots, grate it on a coarse grater, combine with lemon, onion and seasonings.
4. Prepare a jar, begin to lay out herring slices, covering each row with spices. Put the fish under oppression for 2 days, serve to the table under vegetable oil.

The herring ambassador at home is an easy process that does not require financial and time costs. Consider cooking fish in marinade, oil, in a classic or dry way, with spices. Marinate the Don herring with fast technology, vary the proportions as you wish, experiment.

Video: how to salt herring at home