Lightly Salted Whole Herring at Home
Mind-blowingly delicious! Treat your loved ones and friends. Lightly salted herring is prepared whole at home—no gutting required, which is very convenient. You can control the amount of salt and spices to your own taste.
Updated : 09 June, 2025
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
1
Herring
500 milliliters
Water
1.5 tablespoon
Salt
0.75 tablespoon
Sugar
3
Allspice
5
Peppercorns
2
Cloves
1
Laurel leaf
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
The recipe is for one large herring; I used two. Defrost the fish in advance, but do not gut it—leave it whole, with head and tail.
Step 2
Take a saucepan and add salt and sugar. This amount is for a lightly salted version—if you prefer it saltier, add more salt. Add spices. You can customize the spices to your taste. Besides pepper, cloves, and bay leaves, you can also use nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, or mustard seeds.
Step 3
Pour clean cold water into the saucepan.
Step 4
Place it over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer the brine for 2–3 minutes, until the salt and sugar completely dissolve. Then let the brine cool down.
Step 5
Rinse the thawed fish thoroughly and pat dry. Use a glass or food-grade plastic container of appropriate size. Place the whole fish inside (I used two since I’m making a double portion).
Step 6
Pour the cold brine over the herring. It should cover the fish completely. Cover the container with a lid and refrigerate for two days. Morning and evening, take it out and flip the fish to ensure even salting.
Step 7
Remove the finished fish from the brine, pat dry, cut off the head and tail. Slice open the belly and remove the innards. Cut the fish into pieces. Serve with onions, herbs, and aromatic oil. Enjoy your meal!