Herring in Oil {Śledź w Oleju}
I grew up in North-Western corner of Poland, in a city of about 400,000 people called Szczecin. Because of the location and access to fresh fish we ate a lot of it. As a matter of fact, Szczecin-ians are called paprykarze (which is a dish of fish, mixed vegetables and rice, recipe here) by the rest of the country, because the amount of fish we eat.
In my home, we ate fish almost every Friday. The standard was: fried fish filet, boiled potatoes garnished with dill and sauerkraut slaw. Those 3 things go together (for Poles) like eggs, bacon and hash browns or peanut butter and jelly for Americans. A highlight of every trip to the sea-side was fish, french fries and sauerkraut slaw. Sea side towns are lined with fish shops on every corner, providing a lot of options to visitors from all over Poland and from Europe.
More “adult” flavor that I’m presenting today is herring in oil with onions. This dish is quite popular at dinner parties, holidays or other family gatherings, as it provides a solid base for a night of fun, if you know what I mean. 😉🍻
Herring does have a pretty robust flavor, even for pretty die-heart fish lovers, but in this case, paired with a fragrant onion, it becomes milder and quite palatable. I can’t not eat it, when it’s served. Even my daughter, when she was about 5 or 6, to the surprise of our guests, enjoyed it a lot when I served it at New Year’s Eve party at out house. That got some of the non-adventurous eaters convinced to try a piece, and surprise themselves with the peculiar taste of the dish.
There are many variations of this dish, but I’m starting with the basics. We can venture to more complicated recipes after we’ve mastered and enjoy this one.
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Here is a video recipe:
Polish Herring in Oil {Śledź w Oleju}
Ingredients
- 8–9 oz / 225–250 g of herring fillets*
- 1 medium to large onion
- 1 c / 235 ml of vegetable oil (I like canola or flaxseed oil)
- 1⁄4 tsp of black pepper (freshly ground, if possible)
- 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
Instructions
Place herring in a large bowl with a quart / liter of cold water and let soak for 2 hours. Change water out every 30 minutes.
Take out and set on paper towels to dry a bit.
Cut onion in half and slice thinly. Place in a bowl.
To onion add oil, pepper, and chopped parsley.
Slice herring at an angle into about 1 inch / 3 centi- meter strips. Add to bowl with onions.
Mix and refrigerate until serving. Best if prepared 2–3 days ahead of time.
Serve with hearty rye bread.
Store in the fridge for up to 14 days, if needed.
Notes
* salted herring called "herring a la Matias" will work best
Serve with hearty rye bread. Store in the fridge for a couple of weeks, if needed.
Are you willing to try this? Or maybe you’ve had this before? Let me know what you think.
Smacznego!!
Anna
*every respecting Polish deli/grocery will carry herring fillets in oil. They are called Filety a la Matias and they are preserved in salt and packaged in oil. If you don’t have access to a Polish deli, you can purchase them here. An unopened package will last in the fridge for moths. If you don’t use both packages right away, they will be fine for a long time. Here are a recipe for another dish you can prepare with them: śledź w śmietanie, and also a layered herring salad.
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There’s no Polish deli anywhere near where I live. However, there is a German deli in town. They carry herring two ways. One in oil with onions (the way I like it best), and another way in what appears to be sour cream (I’ve never tried it).
I have herring with some toasted bread almost every day for breakfast. I like to have some protein in my breakfast, and herring seems to be the protein of my choice. 🙂
Judy D.
i used to eat pickled herring and loved it. I just found herring in oil at a store here and want to try it- I will use this recipe- thanks!
Where does one in Florida get herring?
On line? (Pack of 2) Imported Matjes Herring Fillets 8.8oz/250 g. Includes Exclusive HolanDeli Chocolate Mints. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QOUSP9S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IkwFCb9FTMRKT
IKEA food section. They do various types of tasty herrings, but not the Polish one in oil. I presume there is an IKEA in Florida.
Love this. Grew up making and eating it with my Grandfather. We had it with Pumpernickel bread usually.
can i make this with fresh herring fillets? or do i need to brine my fillets first, overnight / 24 hours?
if brine first, then do i still do the soaking step above, or skip it (since adding salt and then removing it seems redundant; but maybe one still wants some salt in it to remove some moisture and keep the fish firm)? many thanks; delicious recipe, and looking forward to making it!
Do you need to rinse the packaged Filety a la Matias before using.