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How to Salt Herring at Home
How to Salt Herring at Home is the genuine accessible alternative to store-bought herring (often old, too salty, lost quality from extended brine storage). Salting at home: SIMPLE + control of saltiness yourself. SLIGHTLY SALTED fillet: 1 day. SALTIER taste (e.g., for "Herring Under Fur Coat" salad): 2-3 days. Recipe is BASIC — varies with experimental spices/seasonings. Frozen herring: thaw GENTLY (6-12 hours refrigerator). The 3-day total preparation produces 8 servings. Make stock for upcoming holidays.
Ingredients
Show ingredients
- herring – 2 pcs;
- purified water – 2 L;
- rock salt – 120 g;
- white sugar – 50 g;
- coriander seeds (optional) – 0.5 tsp;
- assorted peppercorns – few pcs;
- bay leaf – 4-5 pcs.
Preparation
- I prepare necessary ingredients.
- Better BOIL water with all spices — they better reveal aromatic properties. Can be done directly in salting container (or use 2-3 L jar; boil brine in regular pot).
- Better salt herring WHOLE — just remove GILLS (color brine unpleasant dirty color, affects taste with bitterness).
- Place fish in chosen container with COOLED brine (e.g., deep frying pan).
- WEIGH DOWN fish slightly so completely SUBMERGED in liquid.
- Salting in JAR: BEND fish slightly so fully submerged in brine.
- Place containers in REFRIGERATOR. Wait 1-3 DAYS based on desired saltiness. Make stock for holidays — salt several pieces in advance, freeze + use as needed. 3-liter jar holds 5 large herring. Bon appétit!
Tips and Tricks
Tip 1. THE 6% BRINE-SALT CONCENTRATION. Recipe's "120 g salt + 2 L water = 6%" is professional-grade brine concentration. STANDARD home brine: 5-7% salt-to-water ratio. THIS RECIPE'S 6%: balanced — strong enough for proper preservation + flavor, mild enough to avoid over-salting. The SUGAR addition (50 g): provides slight sweet-balance + improves flavor (Russian/Eastern European tradition). Too high salt (10%+): harsh, requires extensive desalting. Too low (3-4%): insufficient preservation, fish spoils. Same 6% precision: traditional Russian "malosolyonaya seledka" (lightly-salted herring), Scandinavian gravlax variations, Eastern European pickled-fish traditions.
Tip 2. THE GILLS-REMOVAL CRITICAL PRE-PREP. Step 3's "remove gills" specification is genuine flavor-essential. Whole herring with gills + brine: gill blood + tissues color brine DIRTY-DARK + impart BITTERNESS to fish flavor. GILLS REMOVED (recipe-canonical): cleaner brine + cleaner fish flavor + traditional appearance. Method: lift gill cover with knife, pull gills out (5 min for 2 fish). Same gill-removal principle: traditional Russian fish preparation, Japanese sushi-grade fish processing, professional fish handling. Don't skip — single most important pre-prep step. For another classic Russian-tradition fish preparation worth comparing, see Herring Forshmak Classic.
Tip 3. THE COMPLETE-SUBMERSION REQUIREMENT. Steps 5-6's "weigh down + completely submerged" is preservation-essential. Partially-submerged fish: top portion exposed to air, oxidizes + spoils faster + uneven salting. COMPLETELY SUBMERGED: even salting throughout fish, no exposed surfaces, optimal preservation. WEIGHT options: small ceramic plate (recipe-canonical), water-filled small jar inside container, ziplock bag with water as flexible weight. JAR-BENT method: fish naturally flexes around jar interior. Same complete-submersion principle: Korean kimchi traditional weighting, French confits, professional brining techniques.
Tip 4. THE 1-VS-3-DAY SALTINESS-CONTROL. Step 7's "1-3 days based on desired saltiness" is genuine recipe flexibility. Salt absorption is GRADUAL — 1 day = LIGHT salting, 2 days = MEDIUM salting, 3 days = FULL salting. PURPOSE-BASED choice: lightly-salted herring with bread-and-butter (1 day), salads like "Herring Under Fur Coat" (2-3 days for stronger flavor that survives mayo + boiled vegetables), traditional zakuska with vodka (3 days for full character). Pro-tip: TEST taste after day 1 + remove portion if liked, leave rest for further salting. For another classic Russian-tradition fish snack worth trying, try Herring Under Fur Coat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What herring variety is best?
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) is recipe-canonical. CHARACTERISTICS: silver-skinned, 25-35 cm length, oil-rich flesh. RECOMMENDED: large fatty Atlantic herring from northern fisheries (Iceland, Norway, Russian Barents Sea). PACIFIC herring (Clupea pallasii): smaller, less oily, but works. CANNED herring: NOT for this recipe (needs whole fish for proper salting). FROZEN whole herring (recipe-canonical assumption): commercial freezing kills parasites, makes safe for cold-salting. The RUSSIAN/EASTERN-EUROPEAN preference: FATTY herring varieties (more flavor + tender flesh after salting). AVOID: dried/already-salted herring (different recipe).
Can I add other spices?
Yes — recipe is BASIC + flexible. CLASSIC additions: dried dill (1 tbsp), mustard seeds (1 tsp), allspice (3-4 berries), cloves (2-3), juniper berries (5-6, Northern European tradition). MODERN variations: orange zest (Scandinavian gravlax-fusion), lemon zest, fresh rosemary (Mediterranean-fusion), fennel seeds. SPICY variations: red pepper flakes (1 tsp), grain mustard (1 tbsp). The recipe-canonical (coriander + bay + peppercorns): traditional Russian profile. Don't add: very-strong spices like cumin (overpowers fish), ginger (wrong cuisine direction). Each additional spice: pinch-by-pinch to taste.
How long does it keep?
SALTED + REFRIGERATED in brine: 7-10 days at peak quality. After 10 days: starts becoming overly salty + starts breaking down. FREEZER (whole fish in plastic wrap): UP TO 6 MONTHS — best for stocking up. After thawing: consume within 5 days. SLICED + REFRIGERATED in oil: 5-7 days. Once OPENED: refrigerate, consume within week. Storage tips: keep brine clean, refrigerate constantly, don't refreeze. Spoilage signs: cloudy/mucousy brine, sour smell, soft mushy flesh — discard. For long-term: salt in batches + freeze whole for up to 6 months.
How do I serve it?
Russian/Slavic tradition has classic herring serving rituals. CLASSIC: thinly sliced + served with: BOILED POTATOES (most iconic, with butter + dill), DARK RYE BREAD (Borodinsky), thin RAW ONION rings, fresh DILL. ZAKUSKA: thin slices on small toast (canapé style), with vodka shots (traditional drinking-snack). SALADS: "Herring Under Fur Coat" (selyodka pod shuboj — layered with beet + potato + carrot + mayo), Russian seledka v shubu, German rollmops. SANDWICHES: with butter on rye, garnished with onion + capers. WITH EGGS: deviled eggs with herring, herring-deviled-egg appetizers. Don't pair with: sweet flavors (clash), dairy-heavy dishes.
