This is not exactly a summer dish for me (it was 90 in Seattle this afternoon!), but I was asked to post this recipe, so here it is. Elli, thank you for reading my blog!
Salted herring, especially salted in brine, is a popular Russian dish. Skinned, filleted, thoroughly deboned, then sliced into bite-size pieces, layered with sliced sweet onions and drizzled with aromatic unrefined sunflower oil and several drops of table vinegar or lemon juice, it makes a nice dinner along with boiled potatoes and some vegetable salad.
Chopped into smaller pieces, it is a major ingredient in a popular salad with a whimsical name “Herring under a fur coat”. Apparently, during cold Russian winters – and this salad is more often made for New Year’s table – even poor little herrings need something warm to wrap themselves in. The fur usually consists of layers of grated or finely chopped boiled potatoes, beets, eggs, raw sweet onions and mayonnaise.
My favorite way to consume brined herring is on top of hot freshly made crepes along with a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh dill.
In Seattle, you can find salted herring in all Russian stores (aka European delis). Whole fish are sold in cans or by weight and we prefer the latter. If you like, you can brine herring yourself. It’s a fun and easy task with quite tasty results, take my word for it.
My parents have been brining herring for a long time and are big experts in it. In Seattle, it’s hard to find raw herring, even frozen, so instead we brine Norwegian mackerel (the fatty striped one) that we get at Asian supermarkets. Though its taste and texture are a bit different from herring, it’s still amazingly delicious when brined. The other good news is that mackerel has lesser amount of those annoying teeny tiny bones which implies less deboning work.
There are two type of brine we use in our family: a basic one that contains only water, salt and a bit of sugar, and an aromatic one, which also includes some spices. My husband and parents prefer the former, I myself the latter. I’ll give you the recipe of my favorite brine, but you can easily transform it to the basic one by skipping the spices and reducing the sugar by half.
Brine:
For 1 quart water you will need:
- 5 Tbsp salt
- 2.5-3 Tbsp sugar (balance sweetness to your liking)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 whole clove
For 2 regular sized Norwegian mackerels and a container 9 x 5.5 x 3 inches I take 2 quarts of water.
Bring the water to boil, add the rest of brining ingredients and simmer on a lowest heat about 5 minutes to extract flavors from the spices. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. You may take out the spices or leave them in, it’s up to you. I usually remove cloves since even one little thing can easily overseason the brine.
While the brine is cooling down, prepare the fish. Rinse it and cut off the heads. Well, you can leave them on, but then you’ll need longer container and more space in the fridge. Slit the bellies open and remove the intestines. Scrape the cavity clean and wipe with a paper towel. Put the fish into a deep container (plastic or glass). Trim the tails if necessary. Pour the brine over making sure that the fish is completely submerged in the liquid. Cover with a lid and put into the refrigerator. The fish will be ready in about 5 days.
When the mackerel (or herring if you were lucky to find it) is brined through, there are only several small steps that separate you from enjoying it. Peel the thin translucent outer layer of skin by picking it up with the fingertips and gently pulling it up all the way from head to tail. Then run the tip of your index finger along the back bone and gently divide the fish into two fillets. Remove the back bone and other large bones and cut the fillets into ¾ inch slices.
Arrange on a platter, top with some thinly sliced sweet onions and drizzle with good unrefined sunflower (check Russian stores aka European delis) and some table vinegar/lemon juice. Several sprigs of fresh dill and you’re all set for a delightful treat!
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