Haring

Hollandse Nieuwe (Raw Herring with Onion and Pickles)

A Dutch springtime delicacy: young herring lightly cured, then served raw with onion and pickles. For home safety, we freeze the fish to kill potential parasites before serving.

Prep

20 min

Total

20 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •800 g (1 lb 12 oz) fresh whole herring, scaled and gutted, head and tail left on, or ask your fishmonger to prepare them
• •50 g (1¾ oz) coarse sea salt
• •15 g (1 tbsp) white sugar
• •1 small red onion, finely chopped
• •120 g (4 oz) gherkins or pickles, sliced thin
• •8 slices rye bread, optional, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the herring under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. 2 In a small bowl, mix the coarse salt and sugar. Rub the mixture all over each herring, including inside the belly cavity and under the gill flaps.
3. 3 Place the herring in a single layer in a non-reactive dish (glass or ceramic). Cover and refrigerate for 24–48 hours. The salt draws out moisture and lightly cures the fish.
4. 4 After curing, rinse each herring briefly under cold running water to remove the salt crust, then pat dry again.
5. 5 For parasite safety, freeze the cured herring at -20°C (-4°F) for at least 7 days, or at -35°C (-31°F) for 15 hours. This is a required step to make the fish safe to eat raw. If your freezer does not reach -20°C, use a commercial blast freezer or purchase herring that has been commercially frozen to this standard.
6. 6 Thaw the frozen herring in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
7. 7 To serve, arrange the herring on a platter. Place the chopped red onion and sliced gherkins in separate small bowls. Serve with rye bread if desired.
8. 8 To eat in the traditional Dutch way, pick up a herring by the tail, tilt your head back, and take a bite from the top of the fish. Follow with bits of onion and pickle between bites.