Pickle your own herring

A classic on the Swedish smörgåsbord. 

  • Mustard herring. Photo: Lars Paulsson

  • Pickle your own herring
    Pickled herring is a classic on the Swedish “julbord” and you can easily make your own. There’s a 1-2-3 rule, which means 1 deciliter vinegar essence, 2 deciliters sugar, and 3 deciliters water. Translated to cups that would be: 0.4 cup vinegar essence, 0.8 cup sugar, and 1.2 cups water. For a simple recipe, just add red onion, cloves and bay leaf to the herring. But there are other, exotic recipes to try out also. How about mango herring? Wasabi herring? All recipes courtesy of alltommat.se

  • Christmassy citrus herring. Photo: Petra Jonsson

  • Mustard herring
    420 g herring in a tin
    1/2 cup sour cream
    1/4 cup mustard (a sweeter, grainier kind)
    1 teaspoon sugar
    2 Tablespoons dill
    Drain the herring and cut them in pieces. Mix the other ingredients in a bowl and carefully add the herring pieces. Let sit in the fridge at least a few hours.

  • Mango herring. Photo: Lina Eriksson

  • Christmassy citrus herring
    1 tin with herring (420 g)
    For the liquor:
    0.2 cup vinegar essence
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 cup water
    1 teaspoon cloves, whole
    3-4 cinnamon sticks
    1 teaspoon allspice
    1 lemon
    1 orange
    1 lime
    0.2-0.4 cup aquavit
    salt and pepper
    Bring vinegar essence, sugar and water mixed with spice to a boil and let cool. Peel and cut the lemon, orange and lime (make sure you remove the membranes also). Squeeze the juice of the rest of the citrus fruits into the vinegar-sugar mix, and add vodka, salt and white pepper. Drain the herring and cut it in pieces. Layer herring and citrus slices in a pretty glass jar and add the cold liquor. Let sit for 2 days.

  • Wasabi herring. Photo: Ulf Svensson

  • Mango herring
    2 tins with herring (420 g each)
    100 g mango (frozen)
    3/4 cup crème fraîche
    0.2 cup mayonnaise
    1-1/2 Tablespoons mango balsamic vinegar
    2 Tablespoons chopped chives
    Drain the herring, and dry it with paper towels. Then cut it in pieces (of about half an inch in length). Defrost the mango and mix it using a hand blender. Add crème fraîche, mayo, vinegar, and chives. And lastly the herring. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving.

  • Mustard herring

  • Wasabi herring
    A herring with bite. A spicy liquid with wasabi and fresh ginger.
    1 tin herring (420g)
    3/4 cup water
    1.2 cups sugar
    0.4 cup vinegar essence
    1 piece of ginger
    wasabi (about 45 g from a tube)
    Bring water and sugar to a boil, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Rinse the herring in cold water and dry with paper towels. Cut in pieces. Peel and cut the ginger in thin slices. Put the herring in a jar and mix the wasabi and ginger and add. Let sit in the fridge for two hours. Pour the liquid over and put back in the fridge for 48 hours.