Inlagd sill — pickled herring with dill and juniper
Salted herring fillets, desalted and then marinated in a sweet-sour broth of vinegar, sugar, onion, juniper berries, and peppercorns. Fresh, tangy, and briny, it is eaten on rye bread with warm potatoes.
Salted herring fillets, desalted and then marinated in a sweet-sour broth of vinegar, sugar, onion, juniper berries, and peppercorns. Fresh, tangy, and briny, it is eaten on rye bread with warm potatoes.
Herring, you see, is the wealth of the poor and the honor of the rich: no Swedish table worthy of the name goes without it. We bought it salted in barrels, and it had to be soaked a whole day in fresh water before being laid in its bath of vinegar sweetened with sugar, with onion in thin rings and a few juniper berries from our forests. On the morning of the feast, we took it out glistening and fragrant, and each one helped themselves on a slice of dark bread. It is a small thing, and yet it is our whole country in a mouthful.
- •Salted herring in barrel — a few fillets (base fish)
- •Distilled vinegar — a measure (acidic marinade)
- •Sugar — to taste (balance)
- •Onion — one (aromatic)
- •Juniper berries — about ten (Nordic flavor)
- •Peppercorns, bay leaf — a few (spices)
- •Dill — a bunch (freshness)
Inlagd sill — pickled herring with dill and juniper
Salted herring fillets, desalted and then marinated in a sweet-sour broth of vinegar, sugar, onion, juniper berries, and peppercorns. Fresh, tangy, and briny, it is eaten on rye bread with warm potatoes.
Why this dish? Pickled herring is the totem food of the Baltic: preserved in vinegar and salt, it lasted the winter without refrigeration. No Christmas or Midsummer smörgåsbord at Mårbacka was complete without its bowl of sill.
Herring, you see, is the wealth of the poor and the honor of the rich: no Swedish table worthy of the name goes without it. We bought it salted in barrels, and it had to be soaked a whole day in fresh water before being laid in its bath of vinegar sweetened with sugar, with onion in thin rings and a few juniper berries from our forests. On the morning of the feast, we took it out glistening and fragrant, and each one helped themselves on a slice of dark bread. It is a small thing, and yet it is our whole country in a mouthful.
Ingredients (period version)
- Salted herring in barrel — a few fillets (base fish)
- Distilled vinegar — a measure (acidic marinade)
- Sugar — to taste (balance)
- Onion — one (aromatic)
- Juniper berries — about ten (Nordic flavor)
- Peppercorns, bay leaf — a few (spices)
- Dill — a bunch (freshness)
Ingredients
- Salted herring fillets (or matjes) — 300 g (base fish)
- White vinegar 6% — 100 ml (acidic marinade)
- Water — 150 ml (marinade)
- Sugar — 100 g (balance)
- Red onion — 1, sliced into rings (aromatic)
- Juniper berries — 10 (Nordic flavor)
- Black peppercorns + 1 bay leaf — 1 tsp (spices)
- Fresh dill — 1 bunch (freshness)
Method
- Desalt the salted herring fillets in cold water for 12-24 hours, changing the water several times (skip if using ready-to-use matjes).
- Prepare the marinade: bring water, vinegar, and sugar to a gentle simmer until dissolved, then let cool completely.
- Cut the fillets into pieces. Layer them in a jar with onion, juniper, pepper, and bay leaf.
- Pour the cold marinade over to cover, seal, and marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours (48 is better).
- Serve cold with chopped dill, rye bread, and warm potatoes.
How it was made : Before refrigeration, salting and then pickling herring was the only way to preserve this abundant fish. The ports of the Baltic and North Sea lived off this fishery. Each family had its own marinade recipe, sweeter or less so depending on the region.
The contemporary twist : A 'mustard and dill' version (senapssill) for a Midsummer buffet, presented in individual small jars.
Sources : Cajsa Warg, Hjelpreda i Hushållningen (1755) · Swedish smörgåsbord tradition
Selma Lagerlöf · Charactorium