Fragrant, mouth-watering and spicy herring is perfect not only for a family dinner. It is almost always served at any festive feast. To make the appetizer truly tasty and healthy, many prefer to salt the fish on their own. But how? There are many different cooking options, today we will consider a dry herring ambassador.
Benefits
There are two methods for salting fish. The first is in brine when the herring is left in the cooked marinade. The second is a dry ambassador, when the fish is rubbed with salt and spices. Such a herring is more oily, dry and spicy. It slightly resembles a dried fish. Although with any method of salting at home, it comes out much more aromatic and tastier than purchased. In addition, this is a significant savings in the family budget. Also, the indisputable advantage of salting herring in a dry way is the ease of preparation, the use of available products, and the minimum amount of time spent. Interested in?
How to choose fish for salting correctly
It is very important to approach the choice of fish itself responsibly, as this is the key to a delicious dish:
Pay attention not only to the beautiful view, but also to freshness.
To cook a tasty snack, it is better to choose a chilled Atlantic or Pacific herring.
Choose big fish. It is fatter and tastier.
It is important that the herring is not flattened or crushed. Watch out for details: there should be no skin cuts, damage to the skin and dark eyes. It is important to check the integrity of the fins!
The freshness of any fish is determined by the head and gills. Herring usually has red gills and bulging white eyes. Do not buy fish without a head, because often sellers thus want to hide the unsuitability of the goods.
If the herring is soft, most likely, it is often thawed and frozen. It is better not to take such fish, because when salted it will fall apart or exfoliate from its own skeleton. The fish will lose its beautiful appearance, its taste will deteriorate. In addition, eating stale fish can lead to indigestion.
Do not defrost herring in a microwave or in a warm bath. Just put the fish in a deep bowl and leave for a couple of hours until the carcass is a couple of degrees colder than room temperature.
It is not recommended to use fine or iodized salt for salting. This can greatly affect the taste of the snack.
Today there are many recipes to salt delicious herring at home. You can use different products, for example, carrots, onions, lemon, mustard and others. Fish that is salted for 2-3 days is considered unsalted. Every day, the salt concentration in the herring rises. Adjust the shutter speed yourself.
Dry salted herring at home
This is one of the most popular ways to cook fish without water. Herring is very tasty and aromatic. It will take less than half an hour to cook.
To dry herring in a dry way, you will need:
Cooking method
Salt the herring in a dry way at home. The cooking process is described in detail below.
After buying a suitable fish, it must be washed and wiped with a napkin. You can also cut off your head and take out the giblets to prevent future inconvenience while eating. Pour salt, sugar and pepper into a deep container. Stir the ingredients until smooth. Grate each fish individually with a mixture prepared in advance. Put it on the dishes, cut off the square of the cling film and wrap each fish in it. If there is no film at home, you can also try putting it in a plastic bag, packing hermetically. Put all the wrapped fish on a small plate and refrigerate for two to three days. Every 10 hours, it is important to turn the product from one side to the other.
This method of dry salting herring in a package balances the level of salt in the product. Therefore, the fish may be slightly salted or, if you add more salt and salt for longer, salty.
Second recipe
Dry salted herring preparation time is 24-36 hours.
You will need:
Step cooking
Consider how to cook herring dry salting. For each fish you will need separate packages so that it is better salted. Frozen carcasses must first be thawed. Fresh fish must be washed. To reduce salting time, carcasses can be cut or cut into fillets.
Prepared herring should be placed in a clean bag. Then salt, add sugar, put bay leaf, ground black pepper and allspice with peas. If you wish, you can add any spices and spices, for example, onions, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and more.
After this, the package must be tied and a good tossed herring in your hands so that the salt is evenly distributed throughout the carcass. Send fish for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Then they tear off the fin and taste the finished fish. If everything suits, it is removed from the bag, washed under running water. Dry salted herring is ready for use. If the fish is not ready, you can continue salting for another 5-6 hours.
You can use such a herring for the same dishes as industrial salting. For example, clean the fish from bones and skin, cut into slices, pour oil, sprinkle with fresh chopped onions and serve with boiled potatoes. You can cook a favorite for many salad "Herring under a fur coat."
Salting herring with lemon
Fish can be salted whole or chopped. This method will emphasize the tenderness and brightness of all ingredients. In addition, herring thanks to the lemon will be incredibly fragrant.
It will take about 15 minutes to cook the fish, plus three days for pickling in the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
Fish salting
Rinse fresh lemon under running water. Then cut it into thin circles and put in any container. Combine all the spices: salt, sugar and black pepper in a separate deep bowl. Rinse herring under running water and wipe it with a napkin. You can also throw your head, take off the giblets or cut into small pieces. Lay lemon and fish in layers in glass containers (can be in a jar if there is no container). Also add all the spices mixed in a bowl in layers. Cover with a cup of a smaller diameter and put on top something heavy. Refrigerate for 2 days. After that, remove, mix and put in for another day. Serve in a dish with chopped fresh lemon.
Dutch herring salting
Thanks to this unusual recipe, you will have a ready-made tasty snack on your table, which is loved not only here, but also in Holland.
To prepare you will need:
2 herrings;
2 medium onions;
2 medium carrots;
1 lemon
6 tbsp. l Sahara;
10-12 bay leaves;
4 tbsp. l salts;
8 peas of black pepper.
Preparing a herring of dry salting as follows. It is necessary to wash the lemon, cut into small circles. Also wash fresh carrots, peel. Grate. Peel and wash the onion. Then cut into middle rings. In a glass container, take turns of herring fillet with onions, then carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns and slices of lemon. Sprinkle with the right amount of sugar and salt. Alternate all products. Then just cover the jar and put in a cold place for three days. When serving, pour fragrant herring with vegetable oil. Also cut the Borodino bread into small squares and put the fish.
Dry ambassador with onions and butter
For salting you will need:
2 herrings;
5-6 Art. l oils;
2 onions;
Cooking:
Initially, it is necessary to clean the herring, separate the head, remove the bones, remove the skin, getting a clean filet.
Then cut the onion in half rings.
Grate the prepared fillet with salt. Fold in a container (an ordinary jar will do). Alternate each layer with onions.
After that, fill everything with oil and stand for an hour at room temperature. Then refrigerate for 48 hours.
Spicy slightly salted herring with lemon. Original recipe
For dry salting herring in this way we need:
Cooking fish:
To clear herring of viscera, bones, skin and head. Rinse well in water.
Mix sugar and salt. Cut the lemon into circles.
Lay herring, lemon sliced in circles in layers in a small saucepan, sprinkle with a mixture of sugar, salt and spices.
Put a saucer on top, put a jar of water on it and leave it in the refrigerator for a day.
After that, remove the pan, mix the layers and refrigerate for another 5-40 hours.
How to serve herring
The most common way of serving is to peel and cut the fish into uniform, beautiful pieces, sprinkle onion with chopped rings or half rings on top and pour with vegetable oil. If desired, you can sprinkle with ground pepper and sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Often, the dish is also decorated with green onions, fresh herbs, olives or olives, pickled or fresh cucumbers, tomatoes.
Serve the fish to boiled or fried potatoes, mashed potatoes.
Herring is widely used in the preparation of various salads and appetizers. Canapes and sandwiches, herring oil and mincemeat are also made with it. It all depends on your preference.
So, we examined how to salt herring at home is delicious. No matter how fish is served, it is always an indispensable dish of any holiday table and a great snack. Enjoy your meal!