Salty herring is popular in many families, and it is used not only for preparing traditional New Year’s salad. It is recommended to eat fish as a separate dish to enjoy the taste and aroma. Salt it at home in a few hours is easy enough if you know the basic rules. Some recipes for salting herring in a jar can save carcasses for up to one month.
Salted herring is a favorite dish of many people, however, it is not always possible to buy a good product in a store. Often it turns out to be parasites or contains too much salt. There is a way out of this unpleasant situation – this is an independent salting of herring.
There are many quick recipes: dry ambassador, express method, spicy pickle and more. It all depends on your own preferences and skills. Any person can cook salted fish on their own if they follow the recipe.
Which fish is right and how to prepare it
For starters, you should definitely learn about the rules for choosing and cutting carcasses. The beginning cook is concerned about such questions: what size of herring is suitable, how to prepare fish for salting, whether it needs to be cut or left whole, whether it can be salted in 2-3 hours. Detailed answers to these questions, as well as salting recipes can be found just below.
Any size is chosen for salting, but very small ones are not suitable. First, they are problematic to gut. Secondly, the cooking time is almost impossible to predict, so such fish are often over-salted. Ideally choose a herring weighing from 300 to 900 grams. Make medium herring at home entirely, and large cut into portioned pieces. As for freshness, spoiled specimens are not suitable for preparing snacks. Frozen is also undesirable to use, since the structure of the meat still changes, which may affect the taste of the finished product. On the carcass there should be no damage, unpleasant smell or plaque, the eyes of the fish are shiny and convex. The fins and gills are adjacent to the body, they do not have blood or other mucus. It’s better to buy whole herrings rather than sliced. Headless frozen
Herring is prepared as follows: it is well washed under the tap, gills and fins are removed, the belly is torn open and the entrails are cleaned. Then washed and dried again with napkins. Cutting off the head and tail is optional; the whole fish is tastier. Many will not even gut the carcass, but it will not be completely salted in this case. For the express method, it is better to cut the herring into small pieces and remove the internal organs.
For the salting process, metal (enamelled) or glassware is usually used. On top of the product, close the lid and set oppression. As a load, a can of water or a kettlebell of 3-4 kg is suitable.
Simple and delicious recipes
If you want salty fish, you should pay attention to the first easy recipe. Herring can be prepared in just 2 hours from products that are always at hand. The finished dish is consumed in its pure form, poured with oil or added to various salads.
Ingredients per liter of salting brine:
- filet of two herrings;
- ordinary salt – 4 tbsp. l;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l;
- peppercorns – 10 pcs.;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.
They must cut the fish, because it will be salted much faster with slices at home. Boil water, add parsley, salt, sugar and allspice. Cool the brine, then pour them into the prepared fillet. Leave at room temperature for 1.5-3 hours. Ready salted herring is served with vegetable oil and shredded onions.
You can also salt the fish in a dry way in the film, but it will take more time. Usually they leave the carcass in the refrigerator for 2 days, but small copies will be ready in 24 hours.
Salting marinade is made from the following products:
- carcass – 2 pcs .;
- salt – 2 tbsp. d;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l;
- ground white pepper or any spices.
Wash the fish well, remove the gills and gut. Remove the film inside, rinse again under the tap and dry with paper towels. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, grate the carcass cut from all sides. Wrap herring with cling film in a tight roll, place in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Herring fillet is easy to marinate deliciously using adjika. The pieces are sharp, so not everyone will like the dish. Spices are optional, since adjika already contains a sufficient amount of seasoning. Instead, you can take any hot sauce, but you need to add tomatoes.
Ingredients for salting fish:
- herring – 1 kg;
- salt – 1.5 tbsp. l;
- adjika – 1.5 tbsp. l;
- table vinegar – 2 tsp;
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- lean oil – 3-4 tbsp.
Cut herring into fillets, removing large and small bones. Mix salt, adjika and vinegar together, mix into a homogeneous mass. Peel the onion and cut into half rings. Put the fish in the marinade, stir and distribute in an even layer. Top with onion, drizzle with vegetable oil and cover with a plate. Then install oppression and leave it in a cool place for 12-15 hours.
Salting herring in a spicy way has a rich taste and pleasant aroma. Thanks to various spices, the taste of fish is not felt so much. Few people know that you can salt the carcass right in the package. This method has many advantages: you do not need to cut herring and dirty the kitchen for a long time, a large number of dishes are not required. It is necessary to take only dense polyethylene (2 pcs.), So that it does not tear.
Salting Products:
- fresh or fresh-frozen herring – 3 pcs.;
- coarse salt – 3-4 tbsp. l;
- white sugar – 1.5 tbsp. l;
- allspice peas – 10-13 pcs.;
- spices for fish or any other (dill, fennel);
- several bay leaves.
Wash the fish, cut off the gills and place in a bag. Mix salt with sugar and spices and add to carcasses. Close the bag and mix well. Peas with peas are recommended to crush with a rolling pin, and then fall asleep in a bag. Try to remove all the air of their polyethylene, tie a bag and shake for a few seconds so that the mixture is evenly distributed. Place in the refrigerator for 3 days, from time to time you should shake the bag. The aroma of seasonings and herbs does not come out of the bag, so the dish turns out to be very fragrant and tasty.
Most people prefer to salt herring in a jar, as it is quick and tasty. You can use both whole carcasses and slices of fillet. Usually four medium-sized fish are included in a three-liter capacity. They are tender and ideal for cooking salads. Such a snack can be stored in the bank for up to 14 days, however, after three days, the herring will need to be soaked in cold water.
Ingredients:
- whole carcasses (frozen ones will do) – 3-4 pcs.;
- salt – 120 g;
- sugar – 60 g;
- allspice peas – 1 tsp;
- bay leaves – 4-5 pcs.;
- cloves – ½ tsp;
- spices to taste.
Boil water, add dry ingredients and seasonings. Keep on high heat for 2-3 minutes, then cool to room temperature. The herring needs to be gutted and the gills removed so that the fish does not rot. If frozen is used, then it should be thawed beforehand. Put the carcasses in a three-liter jar with their heads down, pour cool brine (it should completely cover the herring). Close the lid tightly, put in the refrigerator for two days. If the product is not salty enough, it is recommended to leave the herring in brine for another day.
Brine herring for beginner cooks
The following method is considered a little more complicated, but any beginner will cope if he follows the recipe for salting herring in brine. They call it a strong solution consisting of a large amount of salt. Only fresh and whole fishes are selected, on whose body there is no damage. Gills must be cut carefully, being careful not to damage the skin. If there are cuts, the herring will turn out to be saline and will have to be soaked for a long time in cold water.
What is brine and how to cook it? The process is salting the fish in very salt water. For 2 medium carcasses you will need about one liter of water, which must be brought to a boil. Then salt is added to it until it stops dissolving. Salt will simply sink to the bottom, and a chicken egg, on the contrary, will swim. It is necessary only to check the readiness of brine, eggs are not used in cooking fish. To prepare spicy salting at home, use any spices, black pepper, peas, cloves or mustard. The prepared herring is placed in a container, poured with brine (the liquid should completely cover the carcass) and left in the room for 60 minutes. Then they put it in the refrigerator, the dish will be ready in 24-48 hours.
Ambassador for long storage
Cooking fish is often not always the desire, so many are looking for ways to save carcasses for the winter. The best way for long-term storage is to put herring in cans with brine. In such a liquid, an appetizer can remain fresh for up to 30 days, but you need to cook it correctly.
What is required for a strong ambassador:
- fresh herring – 5 kg;
- salt – 1 kg;
- black pepper peas – to taste;
- bay leaves – 10 pcs.
You must gut the fish, remove the gills and wash it well. Dissolve salt in boiling water (200 g of salt 1 liter of water), add pepper and lavrushka. Cool the brine for salting, then pour the herring prepared in advance. Close the container with a lid and remove the cold dark place. You can store it for about 30 days in the refrigerator and about 10 days in the cellar (it is very convenient to grease a large amount if the house has a cellar). The finished herring is taken out, soaked in cold water, peeled and cut into slices. Served with vegetable oil, brown bread and onions. Similarly, you can pickle mackerel and any other fish.
