Icelandic cooking, recipes and food

Spice-pickled herring is used both as it is and also as an ingredient in various dishes, especially salads and Danish-style open-faced sandwiches. The taste is similar to that of pickled anchovies. 3 kg fresh herring, gutted pickling mixture: 750 g pickling salt 150 g sugar or brown sugar 20 g allspice 15 g bay leaves 30 g pepper 5 g saltpeter Mix together all the ingredients except the herring. Take a container, e.g. a large pickling jar, and cover the bottom with the pickling mixture. Arrange the herrings tightly in layers, head to tail and belly up, with a layer of the pickling mix in-between, ending with pickling mix. Close the container and store in a cool place for 3-4 weeks.

The Norwegians and/or Swedes invented Gravlax, and it is a national dish in both countries. This pickled salmon is an excellent entrée and has in recent years become a necessary part of any cold buffet in Iceland. It is almost always served in the same way: thin slices on toast with mustard-dill sauce. I'm including two gravlax recipes here, one with MSG and another one without it. I'm also including two recipes for mustard-dill sauce, one simple, the other fancy. The pickle mix can also be used with trout. Recipe 1: The following pickle is enough for two medium salmon fillets (from a 3-4 kg. fish). 4 tbs fine salt 1/2 tsp ground pepper 1 tsp fennel 1 tsp MSG 3 tbs dill (fresh) Mix all ingredients together. Apply an even layer of the mix to the fish. Wrap each fillet in plastic wrap and then in kitchen foil, skin down. Leave in the refrigerator for 4 days. Remove the gravlax from the packaging and gently scrape off the spice mix. Cut the fish into very th...

Marinated herring is a family favourite, although I must admit that we prefer to buy it ready made rather than make it from scratch. 3 salted herrings 200 ml white vinegar 1 medium onion 200 ml water 6 black peppercorns 100 ml sugar 1 laurel leaf, broken into pieces (To convert measures, use the link on the right sidebar) First, the excess salt must be removed from the herring: Wash the fish under cold, running water. Soak in plenty of cold water for 24 hours, changing the water every few hours. Fillet and soak in cold water for 1-2 hours. Preparation: Cut each fillet diagonally across, into finger-wide pieces, OR roll up, beginning at the tail end. Slice the onion. Put the herring into a sterilized jar, layering with onion slices and spices. Stir together vinegar, water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Pour over herring until covered. Close the jar, and give the herring a few days to marinate properly. Store in the refrigerator. Will keep for a couple of weeks. Serving sug...