Inside Sweden: How to make pickled herring that even newbies will like

It’s almost Easter, and in Sweden that means witches, pick ‘n’ mix and pickled herring.

I grew up in Sweden’s southernmost region, Skåne (Scania in English), where herring was historically such a staple food that a group of locals – including among others teachers and a priest – even set up the so-called Scanian Herring Academy to keep the tradition alive.

One of their flagship recipes is relatively modern, from the 1970s, and it's the first pickled herring I learned to like (it's an acquired taste for Swedes, too). It’s sweeter and therefore tastes less acid than a lot of other Swedish pickled herring recipes, so it’s perfect for beginners.

It’s called Brantevikssill, named after a tiny fishing village on the south-east coast.

Here’s the recipe I use:

Ingredients

1 kilo herring fillets

1 dl spirit vinegar (24 percent acidity)

7 dl water

0.5 dl salt

4 dl sugar

2 yellow onions

2 red onions

1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning

3 tbsp allspice (buy it whole and crush lightly before use)

2 tbsp white peppercorns (again, crush before use)

2 bay leaves

1 bundle of fresh dill

Method

Mix the vinegar, salt and water. Soak the herring fillets (skin-free) in the pickling marinade (it’s important they’re completely covered by the marinade) and leave them for 24 hours in the fridge.

The vinegar used in herring recipes is referred to as ättika in Swedish. If you can’t get hold of this, you can use malt vinegar (5 percent acidity) instead, but you then need to use more vinegar and less water to get the proportions right. It is important that the right amount of ättika, salt and sugar is used when pickling herring, as the pickling process prevents harmful bacteria from growing.

The next day, drain the fillets. Mix the chopped onion with the herbs and spices. Add the sugar and stir. Now put the herring and the new marinade in layers in a glass jar and leave it in the fridge.

Eventually, the sugary marinade will melt and form its own liquid, so you shouldn’t add any other liquid. After around two days in the fridge, the herring is ready to eat.

Serve the herring with for example, potatoes, egg and crispbread.

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As always, there's plenty more to read on www.thelocal.se. 

Have a good weekend,

Emma Löfgren

Editor, The Local Sweden

Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.