Marinerede sild

Ingredients

Herring

• 8salt herring fillets, or 8 fresh herring fillets
• cold water, for soaking

Pickle

• 400 mlwhite vinegar
• 200 mlwater
• 200 gsugar
• 2 tbspwhole allspice
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns
• 4bay leaves
• 2 tspmustard seed

To pack

• 2red onions, sliced into thin rings
• 1carrot, sliced thin

To serve

• dark rye bread
• cold snaps and beer

Directions

1. If you are starting from fresh herring rather than salt herring, freeze the fillets solid at −18°C (0°F) or below for at least 24 hours first. This is not about texture — it is what kills the parasites in a fish that is going to be cured in vinegar rather than cooked.
2. Soak salt herring in several changes of cold water for 12 to 24 hours, tasting a corner until it is pleasantly salty rather than harsh. Fresh fillets need a 3-hour brine in heavily salted water instead.
3. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, allspice, peppercorns, bay and mustard seed to a simmer, stir until the sugar dissolves, and then cool it completely. Hot pickle poured over herring cooks the surface and turns it woolly.
4. Cut the drained fillets into 3 cm pieces.
5. Pack the herring, onion rings and carrot in layers into a clean jar and pour over the cold pickle so everything is submerged.
6. Seal and refrigerate for at least 48 hours before eating. The vinegar needs that time to firm the flesh through and take the raw bite off the onion.
7. Serve cold on buttered rye with plenty of the pickled onion, and a glass of snaps. It keeps three weeks in the fridge.

Technique

• The freezing step is the one thing not to skip when starting from fresh fish. Vinegar firms herring; it does not reliably kill what may be in it.
• Taste after soaking, every time. Salt herring varies enormously between producers and an under-soaked batch is inedible.
• Keep it refrigerated. This is a fridge pickle, not a shelf-stable preserve.

Substitutions

• Cider vinegar for white, which is softer.
• Mackerel or sprats, both of which pickle the same way.
• Less sugar for a sharper Swedish-style pickle.

Variations

• Karrysild folds the drained pickled herring into a curried mayonnaise.
• A version with dill and juniper is common at Christmas.

History

Salted Baltic herring was a medieval Danish export controlled from Skanør; vinegar curing turned the preserved fish into the first course of a lunch.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marinerede sild?

Marinerede sild is a fermented & pickled from Denmark: herring cured in vinegar and spices, eaten on rye with snaps. Salted Baltic herring was a medieval Danish export controlled from Skanør; vinegar curing turned the preserved fish into the first course of a lunch.

How long does Marinerede sild take to make?

Marinerede sild takes 30 min plus 24 hours freezing and 2 days pickling of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 1-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Marinerede sild?

Yes, within limits. Cider vinegar for white, which is softer. Mackerel or sprats, both of which pickle the same way. Less sugar for a sharper Swedish-style pickle.

What is the most important thing to get right in Marinerede sild?

If you are starting from fresh herring rather than salt herring, freeze the fillets solid at −18°C (0°F) or below for at least 24 hours first. This is not about texture — it is what kills the parasites in a fish that is going to be cured in vinegar rather than cooked.