Homemade Sprats from Baltic Herring
Flavorful, tender, and aromatic fish dish. Perfect for sandwiches or snacks, made with simple ingredients and tea infusion.
Updated : 13 June, 2025
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
700 grams
Baltic herring
200 milliliters
Water
150 milliliters
Vegetable oil
4
Laurel leaf
10
Peppercorns
4
Cloves
2 tablespoon
Tea
1 teaspoon
Sugar
to taste
Salt
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Advices
Advice
If you want to store this preparation for winter, you can freeze it in the freezer. Any convenient container will work, such as plastic containers or zip-lock bags.
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare all the necessary ingredients. You can use fresh or frozen fish. If using frozen Baltic herring, thaw it in the refrigerator on the lower shelf. You can adjust the spices to your taste—coriander seeds work well. If you want a stronger smoked flavor, add 1 tbsp of liquid smoke.
Step 2
Rinse the Baltic herring. Remove the head and guts. Rinse again carefully, trying to keep the silver skin intact. What other fish can be used? Any small fish from the herring family, such as sprat, anchovy, or small Atlantic herring.
Step 3
Pour boiling water over the tea leaves and let them steep for about 10 minutes, then strain the tea. Add sugar and salt, then mix well.
Step 4
Crush one bay leaf into a saucepan, then add half of the black peppercorns and cloves. Place the cleaned herring on top. Crush the remaining bay leaves over the fish and add the rest of the black pepper and cloves.
Step 5
Pour the tea infusion and vegetable oil into the saucepan. I used unrefined aromatic oil.
Step 6
Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the fish for about 1 hour without stirring. You can gently shake the pan if needed.
Step 7
Remove the finished sprats from the heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid and let it sit at room temperature for 3 hours.
Step 8
Transfer the sprats into jars, close them with lids, and refrigerate for 5-6 hours until fully cooled.
Step 9
Serve the homemade sprats with tea infusion as a delicious snack. Enjoy your meal!