InternationalSeafoodSideGluten-freeDairy-free

Pickled Herring

Name: Pickled Herring
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 500 g salt herring fillets, soaked 12 hours in cold water, or ready matjes-style fillets; 100 ml white vinegar (12% ättika or wine vinegar); 200 g sugar; 300 ml water; 10 allspice berries, lightly crushed; 2 bay leaves; 1 red onion, in thin rings; 1 carrot, in thin rounds; crispbread, boiled potatoes, sour cream and chives, to serve

Swedish inlagd sill by the 1-2-3 rule: one part vinegar, two sugar, three water, with allspice, bay and red onion. Two days to Nordic perfection.

prep: 30 min
cook: 5 min
total: 35 min
serves: 8
level: easy

Every Swedish holiday table orbits the sill, and the base recipe is taught as arithmetic: 1-2-3, one part vinegar, two parts sugar, three parts water. From that brine, with allspice and bay and red onion, comes the clean sweet-sour herring everything else is a variation on.

It wants two days in the jar before it is itself, and it keeps for two weeks, which is why Swedes make it before the guests are even invited.

Pickled Herring is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.

method

Boil the vinegar, sugar and water with the allspice and bay for 2 minutes until dissolved. Cool completely; warm brine cooks the fish and ruins the bite.
Cut the soaked, drained herring into bite-size pieces.
Layer the herring, onion rings and carrot in clean jars.
Pour the cold brine over to cover, close, and refrigerate.
Wait 2 days. Serve cold with crispbread or warm potatoes, sour cream and chives.

chef's tips

1-2-3 is the whole canon; write it on the jar and you will never need the recipe again.
The brine must be fully cold going on; patience here is texture later.
Once the base is yours, the famous variations (mustard sauce, curry sauce) are just dressings on the drained sill.