flipSursild — sweet-sour pickled herring
Sursild — sweet-sour pickled herring
Why this dish? Salted then pickled herring was the staple preserved food of every Norwegian household, from the humblest to the most bourgeois like the Griegs'. It appeared at breakfast as well as on the cold table for receptions at Troldhaugen.
Desalted herring fillets bathed in a marinade of vinegar, sugar, onion, and spices (caraway, juniper berries, bay leaf) — a tangy preserve that keeps for weeks in a cool place.
They think me a man of Viennese salons, but at Troldhaugen I remained a peasant at heart. The herring, my friend, is the bread of the sea! We salted it in summer to last through the heart of winter, then made it pleasant in sweet vinegar, with onion and a few juniper berries from our forests. At the cold table, when Nina sang for our guests, this little shiny fish opened the appetite better than any French dish. Taste it on buttered rye bread: it is all the North in one bite.
- •Salted herrings — several (preserved base)
- •Vinegar — to cover (acidic marinade)
- •Sugar — generous (sweet-sour)
- •Onion — sliced into rings (aromatic)
- •Juniper berries, caraway, bay leaf — a few (Nordic spices)
- •Peppercorns — a pinch (spice)
Sursild — sweet-sour pickled herring
Desalted herring fillets bathed in a marinade of vinegar, sugar, onion, and spices (caraway, juniper berries, bay leaf) — a tangy preserve that keeps for weeks in a cool place.
Why this dish? Salted then pickled herring was the staple preserved food of every Norwegian household, from the humblest to the most bourgeois like the Griegs'. It appeared at breakfast as well as on the cold table for receptions at Troldhaugen.
They think me a man of Viennese salons, but at Troldhaugen I remained a peasant at heart. The herring, my friend, is the bread of the sea! We salted it in summer to last through the heart of winter, then made it pleasant in sweet vinegar, with onion and a few juniper berries from our forests. At the cold table, when Nina sang for our guests, this little shiny fish opened the appetite better than any French dish. Taste it on buttered rye bread: it is all the North in one bite.
Ingredients (period version)
- Salted herrings — several (preserved base)
- Vinegar — to cover (acidic marinade)
- Sugar — generous (sweet-sour)
- Onion — sliced into rings (aromatic)
- Juniper berries, caraway, bay leaf — a few (Nordic spices)
- Peppercorns — a pinch (spice)
Ingredients
- Salted herring fillets — 400 g (base)
- White or cider vinegar — 200 ml (marinade)
- Water — 200 ml (marinade)
- Sugar — 120 g (sweet-sour)
- Onion — 1 large (aromatic)
- Juniper berries — 6 (spice)
- Caraway seeds — 1 tsp (signature spice)
- Bay leaves — 2 (aromatic)
- Black peppercorns — 8 (spice)
Method
- Desalt the herring fillets in cold water for 8–12 h, changing the water two or three times.
- Prepare the marinade: bring water, vinegar, and sugar to a simmer until dissolved, then cool completely.
- Drain and pat the herrings dry, cut into pieces.
- In a jar, layer herrings, onion rings, and spices (juniper, caraway, bay, pepper).
- Cover with cold marinade, seal, and refrigerate at least 48 h before eating.
- Serve cold with rye bread and butter; keeps 2–3 weeks in the fridge.
How it was made : Before industrial refrigeration, salting followed by a sweet-sour vinegar marinade was the premier method to preserve the abundant herring from summer through spring. Caraway and juniper, local spices, flavored the brine throughout Scandinavia.
The contemporary twist : Arrange on rye blinis with a dollop of rømme and dill, as modern *koldtbord* bites.
Edvard Grieg · Charactorium
