Homemade Marinated Herring
Homemade Marinated Herring – Eingelegte Hering
Homemade Marinated Herring are soaked in a rich cream sauce.
Ingredients for Homemade Marinated Herring:
- 8 salted herrings dressed (900g-1000 g – 2-2.2 lbs) OR
jar of herring in wine sauce (900g-1000g – 2–2.2 lbs) - 946 ml (1 quart) of buttermilk
- 8 mustard seeds
- Salt
- 6 juniper berries
- 1 bay leaf
- pepper
- lemon juice from one lemon
- 2 apples
- 2 onions
- 3–4 pickles
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- 2 cups of sour cream
Preparation of the Homemade Marinated Herring:
Keep the herring refrigerated overnight in a covered bowl filled with water. Make sure there is enough water to keep the fish completely submerged.
The next day remove the herring from the water and cut off the tail. Slice the herring in the middle (down the back), creating two halves and pull the fish bones out, from the tail to the front. Carefully check that all the bones have been removed. Remove the scales on the herring by gently scraping off under running water. Place the herring back in the bowl. The herring can be rather large, so if you are using whole fresh herring you want to cut the fish into smaller pieces.
Whip the buttermilk in a bowl with a whisk and pour it over the herring. Keep it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
Preparation of the jarred herring:
Place the herring pieces in a colander and rinse with cold water. Whip the buttermilk with a whisk and pour it over the herring. Keep it covered in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
Marinade for both types of herring:
Mix the sour cream, whipping cream, and lemon juice in a bowl. Core the apples and slice them lengthwise into 8 pieces. Use a mandolin slicer (or the slicer on your grater) to slice the apple pieces into the sour cream mix. Cut the onions into rings and add. Use a slicer to cut the pickles and add. Add the juniper berries and mustard seeds. Mix well.
Note: The thinner the slices the better—more flavor and aroma.)
Place an even layer of herring in a ceramic bowl. Pour some of the marinade on top. Add another layer of herring and then another layer of the marinade and keep repeating until all your herring is used. Finally, place the bay leaves on top and cover the bowl. Let your marinated herring soak for about 2 days in the refrigerator. Stir it again before serving and add salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with boiled potatoes.
Preparation of potatoes:
Boil about 3–4 pounds of small, unpeeled potatoes in a big pot of water for about 18-20 minutes. (Water needs to cover the potatoes.) When ready, pour the potatoes in a colander and run them for a moment under cold water. Once peeled, your potatoes are a great complement to herring.
Did you know?
They say Homemade Marinated Herring is a great hangover cure. Happy New Year!
To make the Shrimp Dip click here, to make Flavored Butter Spreads click here, and to find more recipes for New Year’s Eve click here.