Preparation for salting anDsInitially, people were worried about salting herring so that it was kept for a long time and did not spoil, and for some time they considered it to be food for the poor. The fact is that with the classical methods of cooking this fish bitterness is felt, if it does not remove the gills. Later, when the fishermen learned how to properly chop and pickle herring, noble persons also neglected it. Today everyone has the opportunity to learn how to pickle herring tasty at home and serve it to the table. Read also: salting of fat at home!
How to choose a herring for salting?
In stores, you can choose a ready-made product, which can only be removed from the packaging and put on a dish. However, each housewife is concerned about the quality of fish and its taste, and the best way to be confident in the product is to cook it with your own hands. The freshness of the fish and the composition of the brine remain in question, if you do not participate in all stages of cooking.
Before salting herring at home, you need to choose the right fish.
- Fresh herring on the market or in the store should not produce an unpleasant smell. Beam choose whole carcasses with his head - the freshness of the fish can be judged by the state of its eyes and gills.
- Frozen fish should be taken in stores with the indication of the date of freezing and the shelf life of the product. Her skin should be clean, free from damage and yellow.
- High-quality herring in any form has a silvery sheen, clean undiluted eyes, fins tight to the body and gills.
- If you have a choice, it is better to take the herring caught in the ocean. Sea water is more saturated with toxins, heavy metals and harmful products from the processing of various substances.
- Herring caught in winter have a denser fat layer.
Fresh herring is the best option, especially if you can buy it near the place of capture. If this is not possible, salting of fresh-frozen herring at home remains. In any case, it is better to choose large fish with round sides and a thick back - it will have the most delicious meat.
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Preparation for pickling
The first rule applies to frozen herring - it needs to be defrosted so that it does not lose its taste. For this, the fish is left overnight in the refrigerator. This temperature will be enough to melt the ice, but it will preserve the structure and taste of the herring. It is not recommended to defrost it at high temperature.
Before salting the herring, gills are necessarily removed in it. It is they who give unwanted bitterness to the finished product, because of which they could not cook it for a long time. This procedure can be done with hands, a knife or scissors.
If the herring is not gutted before salting, salt and spices are evenly distributed throughout the carcass. Of course, you can remove the entrails, so that then you just have to cut the fish. If fish are salted with entrails, caviar and milt are left and also placed in brine.
There is a separate method of preparation before salting herring quickly. It is cleaned from gills and viscera, the head, intestines and films are removed, and then placed in a brine. The meat quickly absorbs salt and spices and is ready to eat in 3-4 hours. This is an express option when you need to quickly cook the fish for the holiday table. Such salted herring can not be stored for a long time, and its taste may be less bright than with long-term salting.
Recipes for home cooking
I must say that the recipes are different from the type and size of fish. Before salting the Don herring, a brine is prepared, which is poorly suited for ocean fish. The concentration of ingredients can be slightly changed to taste.
The classic recipe
Herring classic salting, without additional spices, can be used in any dishes. It is added to salads "Olivier" and "herring under a fur coat", as well as separately with a side dish. This is a way of salting the herring at home as a whole, that is, before use it will need to be gutted and cleaned. For this recipe you will need 2 large fishes, 1–2 spoons of salt and sugar and 700 ml of water.
Next, prepare the brine and herring and combine them in one container:
- Remove the gills from the fishes, leaving the insides, and spread them into a deep glass container. The picture shows schematically how to properly remove the gills with scissors.
- Water is boiled separately with salt and sugar, and then cooled to room temperature.
- Fish are poured with brine so that they are completely covered with liquid.
- For the first hour, the herring should be kept warm, and then it is removed in the refrigerator. After 2-7 days, the herring is ready to eat in any form.
Herring pickling lasts from several days to a week, it depends on the personal taste preferences of the hostess. In 2-3 days the fish will become salted, and in a week it will absorb a large amount of salt.
Spicy Salted Herring
The following recipe for salting herring is spiced herring, which is obtained with a bright aftertaste and characteristic smell. You can experiment with spices, but the traditional way of harvesting spicy fish requires:
- 2 large fish;
- 1 liter of water;
- salt( 3 tablespoons) and sugar( 1 or 2 tablespoons);
- 10 black peppercorns;
- 4 large bay leaves;
- a few dry uncut ground clove flowers.
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The process does not differ from the previous method. The fish are poured with brine, left to warm for an hour, then placed in the refrigerator. Salting time - from 2 to 7 days.
Herring with Mustard
With this recipe, you can pickle herring at home in its entirety. In addition to two fish, you will need 1 liter of water, 5 tbsp.lsalt, 3 tbsp.lsugar, 1 spoon of black pepper, coriander and herbs to taste. Then you can use one of the following methods:
- Fish are thawed, gills are removed, but not gutted. They are completely smeared with mustard sauce, while the remaining ingredients boil and cool. Herring is poured with brine and sent to the fridge.
- Herring is cleaned, the entrails, gills and head are removed. All components are mixed in a saucepan except for mustard powder( it is added after boiling).The brine is cooled and poured herring.
Properly prepared brine for pickling herring is the main goal. Any matching ingredients can be added to it. The main thing is that they do not spoil and do not change the brine consistency. Therefore, only mustard powder can be added to the liquid - it is completely dissolved and evenly absorbed into the meat. If you use mustard in the form of sauce, it is better to distribute it manually in carcasses.
Herring in the brine
Tuzluk is a strong saline solution that preserves the freshness of the fish for a long time. This is one of the difficult recipes for salting herring at home. A liter of water is heated in a saucepan, and after boiling it begins to add salt. The brine is considered ready when the salt no longer dissolves, but settles to the bottom. Next, the fish ready for salting is poured with a brine and placed in a refrigerator for 2-7 days.
If you put an egg in a brine, it should stay on the surface and not sink.
Dry salting
There is also a way to dry salting fish, without preparing brine. One medium fish will need a spoonful of salt and sugar, as well as spices to taste.
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Salting the herring:
- Each carcass is thoroughly rubbed with a mixture of seasonings. Salt should be absorbed evenly, including in the gill depressions.
- Each fish is wrapped in several layers of cling film and placed in a refrigerator.
- Herring is ready to eat in a few days.
If you do not have time to wait a week, there is a way to pickle herring quickly and tasty. If in the morning to defrost and clean the fish, in the evening she will be ready. The carcass is rubbed with a mixture of seasonings( 2 tsp. Of salt and 1 tsp. Of sugar), wrapped in film and sent to the refrigerator for several hours. Then it is taken out, washed under water, seasoned with onion rings and sunflower oil and put back into the cold. After half an hour, you can already serve it at the table.
Pickling Don Herring
Don herring is a good option for pickling, because it is fatter and has a mild creamy taste. Traditionally, Don or Black Sea herring is salted in a brine and left for winter in barrels. The method of salting herring at home in brine is slightly different from the classical one, since the fish is kept in a small glass container. For brine, you need at least 100 g of salt per 1 liter of water, as well as spices to taste.
Salted herring is not only an ingredient in salads and sandwiches, but also an independent dish. So as not to worry about the quality of the shop fish, you can spend a small amount of time and cook it yourself. The main thing is fresh herring quality and properly prepared brine. The concentration of the solution varies depending on the type and size of the herring: the recipes for salting the Don herring at home are not the same as for other species. There are ways of quick and dry salting, with spices and mustard, slightly salted and salted herring.
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