Very salty herring: how to soak?
If purchased or homemade herring tastes too salty, this is not a reason to refuse a delicious snack. There are many options for how to return the fish to a pleasant taste by turning it from strong-salted to medium- and light-salted in a few hours.
How to soak salted herring
Before handling the fish, it must be rinsed. If the herring is not gutted, remove the scales, head, and entrails. Fish that are too large can be cut into pieces.
It is believed that the herring should be soaked for exactly as many hours as it was salted for days. However, it is rather difficult to determine the salting time using store-bought herring, so it should be soaked for 12 to 20 hours.
On the packaging of industrially produced herring it is indicated: 14% salt – strong-salted fish, 9-14% – medium salted, below 9% – slightly salted
You will need:
- water
- vinegar 70%
- strong-salted herring
The fish is immersed only in cold water. If it’s hot outside, it is advisable to keep a container of water in the refrigerator. The liquid that has absorbed the salt should be changed every 2-3 hours. If in the summer there is no opportunity to put fish in water in a cold place, then try to change the water every 1,5–2 hours, or even more often, otherwise the herring will quickly deteriorate.
To speed up the soaking process, add 70% table vinegar to the water in a ratio of 10 parts water to 1 part vinegar.
If a salted fish has surfaced, then it has lost enough salt. Its taste has become much more pleasant and delicate. If it is in water for a long time, the pulp will absorb the liquid, increasing the mass of the product by 5–20%.
Alternatively, slightly salted herring can be placed in a colander and placed under running water from the tap. This will prevent it from absorbing much water. Rinse it for about an hour, turning it over from time to time.
You will need:
- strong tea
- sugar
- milk
- strong-salted herring
In the old days, herring was salted very strongly to keep it longer, and soaked before eating in strong sweet tea or fresh unboiled milk. This significantly affects the final quality of the product and adds a sweet or milky taste to the herring. So, cut the fish in half along the back. You do not need to remove the skin. Submerge it completely in cooled sugar tea or milk. Tea, thanks to tannins, will not allow the pulp to sour and blur, and milk, on the contrary, will give the herring tenderness and airiness.
An emergency solution to getting rid of salt is to immerse the low-fat herring in hot, but not boiling water for 1–2 minutes. Then hold it under running water for 5-10 minutes. This will soften the taste somewhat.
By lowering the salt level by soaking, you are leaching proteins, minerals and nitrogenous substances from the fish. This devalues the product in terms of benefits and can negatively affect the taste.
It is not recommended to store soaked herring for more than 24 hours, even in the refrigerator. Try to eat it right away or prepare meals from it.