Pickled Herring

Ya sure, you betcha.

Thanks to the Bothell Sons of Norway, I pickled 5 pounds of herring yesterday. Yep, 5 pounds fits in a gallon jar. 

I attended a Pickled Herring class on Saturday, which started with a brief yet very entertaining talk led by Glenn Kensmoe. He also passed around a recipe sheet, and seemed genuinely happy to answer questions from the enthusiastic audience, made up of an equal number of Norwegians and non-Norwegians...all eager to learn.

After the class we filed through the kitchen to get our herring, which had been boned and sliced for us in advance. It'll only set you back 5 bucks if you just want to take the class (but don't want herring, etc). 

The experience is worth every penny, and then some.

 Don & Ellie Fife, handing out "Pickled Herring Kits" to students like me who paid extra for supplies. The Bothell Sons of Norway assembled these bags in advance...they contained herring, distilled white vinegar, sugar, pickling spices and onions. Don was also the man I talked to on the phone a few days earlier, to confirm my attendance. He told me he had already driven to Port Townsend to pick up the pre-orderded herring, so I probably wouldn't be able to get any. I let him know I was glad to be able to take the class, herring or not. Even though I only talked to him for a few minutes, Don made my laugh more than once, and I think he almost had me talked into joining Bothell Sons of Norway so I could take the class for free! 

Don's wife Ellie cheerfully took my check when I arrived at the class and was the bearer of good news, informing me that since someone didn't show up that morning, I could buy that person's share of the herring. 

Clearly the Fifes are a crucial part of this successful annual event, although I understood there were several other people who had been helping with the project too. I could see this whole pickled herring thing was a pretty big deal to these people and I was happy to be a part of it.

I brought my herring home and soaked it in cold water for 2 hours. Rinsed it well, and soaked it again, but only for about 15 minutes the second time. I was warned by more than one person at the class that it would fall apart if I soaked it too long!

While the herring was soaking I sliced onions. Lots of onions. Then I layered them in a gallon jar with the rinsed and well-drained herring.

I made a brine with the vinegar, sugar and added pickling spices while the herring was soaking too. I knew I needed to make the brine well in advance so it had time to cool before pouring it over the fish. Remember I'm pickling the herring, not cooking it.

After assembling the layers (and I use that term loosely) of herring & onions in the jar, all that was left to do was pour the brine over the top, put a lid on the jar and store it in the fridge. I was told that in 2 days it would be ready to eat*, and that it will keep for months, even years.

*Note: the last line of Glenn's recipe said "If it's too tart, add more sugar, if it's too sweet, add more vinegar."

Words to live by.

By the way, I found out about the Pickled Herring Class from my friend Leslie Seaton. She is the driving force behind a website called Fresh-Picked Seattle, which makes her my go-to gal for fun food-related events & classes happening in the Greater Seattle area.

While you're at it, check out Leslie's other websites too: Free-attle (FREE stuff to do in Seattle) and Seattle Natural Selection (Seattle Nature, Outdoor, Environment & Science Events). She has a full-time job and she runs these three amazing websites, plus she attends many of the events she writes about. She's a very busy gal!

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