Here is a recipe from the book, Better than Store-bought by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie (Harper & Rowe. 1979): Considerably more time-consuming than Greenstuff's version, though!
Part 1 (the curing): -- at least 10 days
Herrings, heads removed, well-cleaned
Kosher salt as needed (see below)
Water as needed (see below)
1. Weigh the herrings. For every 2-1/2 lb. of fish measure out 1/2 lb (1-1/2 cups) kosher salt and set it aside.
2. Split each fish up the belly, lay it flat, and remove the spine. The little bones can be removed later. Rinse the fish and put them to soak in a solution of 1/2 cup of additional salt per gallon of water for 30 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse the fish. Drain again.
4.Sprinkle a layer of salt in a ceramic or glass dish that is deep enough to hold all of the fish. Place a layer of fish on the salt, skin side down. Sprinkle with more salt, covering completely, add another layer of fish at right angles to the first layer. Salt as before, repeat the layering. Put the last layer skin-side up and cover with another layer of salt.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Refrigerate at least 10 days or almost indefinitely in the brine that will form. The fish will shrink, so rearrange them occasionally to make sure they are covered with brine.
Part 2 (the pickling): at least 3-1/2 days (makes 2 pints)
1 1/2 to 2 pounds salt herring, drained
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons Pickling spice (recipe follows)
1/3 cup sugar
1 medium red onion, peeled, sliced and separated into rings.
1. Soak the drained herrings in plenty of water in the refrigerator 12 to 24 hours, changing the water twice.
2. Boil the 3/4 cup water, vinegar, pickling spice, and sugar in an enameled or stainless-steel saucepan. Let cool completely.
3. Rinse the soaked herrings and pat dry. Halve lengthwise and remove tails and fins. Remove as many small bones as will come out easily. Cut crosswise into 1-inch slices.
4. Spoon some of the spices from the pickling solution into 2 clean pint jars. Make layers of the fish and onion rings, placing the skin side against the glass (for looks only--optional). Pack tightly. Fill the jars almost to the top with the pickling liquid. Slip a stainless-steel knife blade between the glass and the fish to release any air bubbles.
5. Cap the jars and refrigerate at least 3 days before serving. Plan to use up the herring within 3 weeks.
Pickling spice (the authors credit Cecily Brownstone)
makes 2/3 cup
4 cinnamon sticks
1 piece dried gingerroot, smashed
2 T. mustard seeds
2 t. whole allspice berries
2 T. whole black peppercorns
2 t. whole cloves
2 t. dill seeds
2 t. coriander seeds
2 t. whole mace, crumbled medium fine
8 bay leaves, crumbled
1 small dried hot red pepper (1-1/2 inches long), crumbled, with seeds
stir ingredients well and store in an airtight jar.
Here's what I wrote for a previous pickle: http://www.food52.com/foodpickle/5760-does-anyone-have-a-recipe-for-schmaltz-herring
I made a lot of pickled herring in grad school. We used alewives, which are not the perfect pickling fish, and they turned out great anyway. This past winter, for the first time, I found fresh Pacific herring for sale. They are usually taken just for their roe, which is shipped to Japan for processing. I pan-fried the fish and the roe (separately), and they were surprisingly great! A lot quicker than curing!
But I did find a lot of info in A.J. McClane's The Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery. It's probably what I used in grad school, as I've had it for a long, long time. Here are some of the details for you:
Clean the fish well (be sure to get the kidneys). Pack them loosely in a stone crock and cover with a brine (3/8 salt to 1 quart water--"enough to float a potato is my memory, but I don't know where I got that advice) and vinegar--about 1/2 as much vinegar as you used water. Keep them cool for 48 hours. I also remember weighting them down. Remove and soak for 8 hours in fresh, cold water.
Then proceed with a recipe. Here's a snapshot of one of his:
Cook 4 cups vinegar, 1/2 pounds sliced onions, and 1 ounce sugar slowly in a pot until the onions are soft. Add mustard seeds, black peppercorns, stick of cinnamon, piece of ginger, bay leaf, cloves, and dill. Simmer (don't boil) for 45 minutes. Strain the spices, cool the sauce, and add the fish.
Another of his recipes includes some sugar like your grandmother, one ounce of sugar to 4 cups of vinegar and 2 cups of water, plus some allspice, bay, mustard seeds, black and white peppercorns, cloves, red onions, and carrots.
From experience, I can tell you that it's very important to cool the sauce throroughly, or you'll cook the fish and the texture won't be what you want. Pour it over the fish, and let it sit for 2 or 3 days before using.
2 Comments
Part 1 (the curing): -- at least 10 days
Herrings, heads removed, well-cleaned
Kosher salt as needed (see below)
Water as needed (see below)
1. Weigh the herrings. For every 2-1/2 lb. of fish measure out 1/2 lb (1-1/2 cups) kosher salt and set it aside.
2. Split each fish up the belly, lay it flat, and remove the spine. The little bones can be removed later. Rinse the fish and put them to soak in a solution of 1/2 cup of additional salt per gallon of water for 30 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse the fish. Drain again.
4.Sprinkle a layer of salt in a ceramic or glass dish that is deep enough to hold all of the fish. Place a layer of fish on the salt, skin side down. Sprinkle with more salt, covering completely, add another layer of fish at right angles to the first layer. Salt as before, repeat the layering. Put the last layer skin-side up and cover with another layer of salt.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Refrigerate at least 10 days or almost indefinitely in the brine that will form. The fish will shrink, so rearrange them occasionally to make sure they are covered with brine.
Part 2 (the pickling): at least 3-1/2 days (makes 2 pints)
1 1/2 to 2 pounds salt herring, drained
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons Pickling spice (recipe follows)
1/3 cup sugar
1 medium red onion, peeled, sliced and separated into rings.
1. Soak the drained herrings in plenty of water in the refrigerator 12 to 24 hours, changing the water twice.
2. Boil the 3/4 cup water, vinegar, pickling spice, and sugar in an enameled or stainless-steel saucepan. Let cool completely.
3. Rinse the soaked herrings and pat dry. Halve lengthwise and remove tails and fins. Remove as many small bones as will come out easily. Cut crosswise into 1-inch slices.
4. Spoon some of the spices from the pickling solution into 2 clean pint jars. Make layers of the fish and onion rings, placing the skin side against the glass (for looks only--optional). Pack tightly. Fill the jars almost to the top with the pickling liquid. Slip a stainless-steel knife blade between the glass and the fish to release any air bubbles.
5. Cap the jars and refrigerate at least 3 days before serving. Plan to use up the herring within 3 weeks.
Pickling spice (the authors credit Cecily Brownstone)
makes 2/3 cup
4 cinnamon sticks
1 piece dried gingerroot, smashed
2 T. mustard seeds
2 t. whole allspice berries
2 T. whole black peppercorns
2 t. whole cloves
2 t. dill seeds
2 t. coriander seeds
2 t. whole mace, crumbled medium fine
8 bay leaves, crumbled
1 small dried hot red pepper (1-1/2 inches long), crumbled, with seeds
stir ingredients well and store in an airtight jar.
I made a lot of pickled herring in grad school. We used alewives, which are not the perfect pickling fish, and they turned out great anyway. This past winter, for the first time, I found fresh Pacific herring for sale. They are usually taken just for their roe, which is shipped to Japan for processing. I pan-fried the fish and the roe (separately), and they were surprisingly great! A lot quicker than curing!
But I did find a lot of info in A.J. McClane's The Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery. It's probably what I used in grad school, as I've had it for a long, long time. Here are some of the details for you:
Clean the fish well (be sure to get the kidneys). Pack them loosely in a stone crock and cover with a brine (3/8 salt to 1 quart water--"enough to float a potato is my memory, but I don't know where I got that advice) and vinegar--about 1/2 as much vinegar as you used water. Keep them cool for 48 hours. I also remember weighting them down. Remove and soak for 8 hours in fresh, cold water.
Then proceed with a recipe. Here's a snapshot of one of his:
Cook 4 cups vinegar, 1/2 pounds sliced onions, and 1 ounce sugar slowly in a pot until the onions are soft. Add mustard seeds, black peppercorns, stick of cinnamon, piece of ginger, bay leaf, cloves, and dill. Simmer (don't boil) for 45 minutes. Strain the spices, cool the sauce, and add the fish.
Another of his recipes includes some sugar like your grandmother, one ounce of sugar to 4 cups of vinegar and 2 cups of water, plus some allspice, bay, mustard seeds, black and white peppercorns, cloves, red onions, and carrots.
From experience, I can tell you that it's very important to cool the sauce throroughly, or you'll cook the fish and the texture won't be what you want. Pour it over the fish, and let it sit for 2 or 3 days before using.
Best of luck!