How To Make Swedish Pickled Herring | Tasting Table Recipe

Pickled herring is a Midsummer mainstay

No Midsummer Swedish feast would be complete without pickled herring.

To make it, the two-part process begins with curing the fish in salt; the salt is then removed and the herring is pickled in a sweet-sour liquid made of white vinegar, water, sugar and aromatics such as onions, carrots and bay leaves.

While dill and mustard have been traditional flavor accompaniments for pickled herring, cooks are branching out with spices like curry. It's a whole new school of Swedish fish.

To learn more, read our story "A Midsummer Night's Feast."

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Inlagd Sill (Pickled Herring)
5 from 1 ratings
No Midsummer Swedish feast would be complete without pickled herring. Here's our Test Kitchen's take on the classic summer dish.
Prep Time
10
minutes
Cook Time
5
minutes
Servings
6
to 8 servings
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
  • 10 salted herring fillets (about 3 pounds), rinsed, soaked in water overnight, and drained
  • Minced red onion, for garnish
  • Finely chopped chives, for garnish
Directions
  1. Combine all the ingredients except for the herring in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pickling liquid to cool to room temperature.
  2. Place the herring fillets in a non-reactive bowl. Pour in the cooled pickling liquid and stir to combine. Let marinate for 2 days.
  3. To serve, remove the fillets from the pickling liquid and pat dry. Cut the fillets into 3-inch pieces and transfer to a platter. Garnish with the red onion and chives and serve.
Rate this recipe