flipScandinavian Pickled Herring
Scandinavian Pickled Herring
Why this dish? In 1795, Mary travelled through Sweden, Norway and Denmark, a journey she recounted in her *Letters Written During a Short Residence*. Her grounding mentions Gothenburg among her places. In these ports, pickled herring — a staple of the Scandinavian cold table — was part of daily life: this dish evokes what she might have tasted far from her England.
Herring fillets pickled in vinegar with onion, juniper berries and peppercorns, finished with a hint of sugar. Acidic, briny, invigorating: the flavour of Nordic coasts where fish was preserved for winter.
When I landed on these northern shores, heavy-hearted but curious-eyed, I was served this fish preserved in vinegar, which the people here hold in high esteem. The acidity struck me as sharp, almost harsh, but it suits the climate and the frank character of these peoples. One lets the fillets rest in their sour brine, with onion and a few berries, until they soften. I found in it, I confess, a sobriety that matched my mood as a solitary traveller.
- •Fresh or salted herrings — a few, filleted (base)
- •Vinegar — enough to cover (marinade, preservation)
- •Salt — generously (brine)
- •Onion — one, in slices (aromatic)
- •Juniper berries and peppercorns — a pinch (flavour)
- •Bay leaves — two or three (flavour)
- •Sugar — a spoonful (balance)
Scandinavian Pickled Herring
Herring fillets pickled in vinegar with onion, juniper berries and peppercorns, finished with a hint of sugar. Acidic, briny, invigorating: the flavour of Nordic coasts where fish was preserved for winter.
Why this dish? In 1795, Mary travelled through Sweden, Norway and Denmark, a journey she recounted in her *Letters Written During a Short Residence*. Her grounding mentions Gothenburg among her places. In these ports, pickled herring — a staple of the Scandinavian cold table — was part of daily life: this dish evokes what she might have tasted far from her England.
When I landed on these northern shores, heavy-hearted but curious-eyed, I was served this fish preserved in vinegar, which the people here hold in high esteem. The acidity struck me as sharp, almost harsh, but it suits the climate and the frank character of these peoples. One lets the fillets rest in their sour brine, with onion and a few berries, until they soften. I found in it, I confess, a sobriety that matched my mood as a solitary traveller.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh or salted herrings — a few, filleted (base)
- Vinegar — enough to cover (marinade, preservation)
- Salt — generously (brine)
- Onion — one, in slices (aromatic)
- Juniper berries and peppercorns — a pinch (flavour)
- Bay leaves — two or three (flavour)
- Sugar — a spoonful (balance)
Ingredients
- Herring fillets (fresh or desalted brined) — 4 fillets (base)
- White vinegar — 150 ml (marinade)
- Water — 100 ml (to soften the marinade)
- Sugar — 2 tbsp (balance)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
- Red onion — 1, sliced (aromatic)
- Juniper berries — 6 (flavour)
- Black peppercorns — 10 (flavour)
- Bay leaves — 2 (flavour)
Method
- If the herrings are heavily salted, soak them for a few hours in cold water, then drain.
- Heat the vinegar, water, sugar and salt until dissolved, then cool completely.
- Layer the fillets in a jar with the sliced onion, bay leaves, juniper and peppercorns.
- Pour over the cold marinade, seal and refrigerate at least 24–48 hours.
- Serve well chilled, with rye bread, as part of a cold table.
How it was made : Herring shaped the economy of the Baltic and North Seas; lacking refrigeration, it was preserved by salting, smoking, or pickling in vinegar. This last method, sweet-sour, is the ancestor of the pickled herrings of the modern Scandinavian smörgåsbord. It was served on dense rye bread, sometimes with dill — the quintessential Nordic herb.
The contemporary twist : Present it on a thin slice of buttered rye bread, sprinkled with fresh dill and red onion rings — a minimalist smörrebröd worthy of a Gothenburg café.
Sources : Mary Wollstonecraft, Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796) · C. Anne Wilson, Food and Drink in Britain (1973)
Mary Wollstonecraft · Charactorium
