Pickled Herring

I only started making pickled herrings when I came to London, in fact I don’t think I’d eaten them before then. I first had them in a pop up restaurant on the top of a dis-used carpark and immediately after finishing them went straight up to the chef and had a long conversation about pickling. There’s something great about food taking about a week to make, something oldy-worldy – a similar feeling to opening jams from years before or eating Christmas pudding in June.

This is a really easy recipe and works every time, if you can't get herring then it works really well with any oily fish such as mackerel or sardines which are available throughout the year. There’s nothing to be scared about with pickling – it’s simple and easy but seems to be becoming a lost art. I say re-use those old jars and stock up your cupboard!

PICKLED HERRING

Ingredients -

8 herrings, filleted

200g course sea salt

500g sugar

350ml white wine vinegar

110ml water

8 whole peppercorns

3 bay leaves

6 large spring onions

10 thin slices of lemon peal

Method -

-       Mix the salt and 300g sugar together. In a plastic box layer the herring fillets sprinkling the sugar/salt mixture between each layer

-       Leave in the fridge for 24 hours, this will lead to a firmer and tastier fish.

-       After 24 hours rinse the fillets and discard the sugar and salt

-       In a pan heat up the rest of the sugar along with the white wine vinegar and water until the sugar is disolved. Set this aside to cool

-       In your pickling jar layer the herring fillets along with the spices, onions and peel and then cover with the cooled sugar solution

-       Leave for at least a week before eating but they will last for a few weeks after