Herring in Wine & Sour Cream

Salt herring soaked overnight, filleted, and layered in a jar with a sweet-tart marinade of white wine, vinegar, sour cream, sugar, and sliced onions. This is the kind of appetizer that anchors a Scandinavian or Eastern European holiday table, and it needs a full day to develop its flavors.

The overnight soak in cold water is essential. It draws out excess salt from the cured herring and rehydrates the flesh, making it tender and mild enough to eat without puckering. Don’t skip this or the fish will be aggressively salty.

The marinade builds on a base of vinegar, onion, peppercorns, and bay leaves brought to a boil, then white wine heated gently without boiling. Boiling the wine drives off the alcohol and flavor. You want that wine warmth, not wine vapor. Sugar and sour cream get stirred in to create a creamy, tangy sauce.

Layering the filleted herring pieces with the sauce in a jar ensures every piece marinates evenly. One full day in the refrigerator lets the acid from the vinegar and wine firm the fish further while the sour cream mellows everything into a cohesive, creamy bite.

Chef Tips

• Use matjes (mult) herring for the mildest, most buttery flavor. Stronger cured herring can overpower the delicate sauce.
• Slice the onions as thin as possible. They’re eaten raw in the marinade and thick slices are too sharp.
• Keep refrigerated at all times. This is a cold dish served straight from the jar.
• Serve on dark rye bread or pumpernickel with a cold beer or shot of aquavit.

Variations

• Dill cream herring: Add 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill to the sour cream sauce for a classic Scandinavian variation.
• Mustard herring: Stir 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard into the cream mixture for a sharper, tangier version.
• Apple herring: Add thin slices of tart apple to the layers for a fruity crunch.