Authentic Pickled Herring

When you mention 'pickled herring' people immediately
tend to think of Scandinavia and the dishes of Denmark,
Sweden and Norway where various forms of pickled herring
in a whole range of pickling mixes abound.
Fish in British waters and pickling as well as smoking
used to be a common preservation technique.
As a basis for this recipe you will need
either salted or home-cured herring.

Ingredients:
Salt herring
3 large onions, chopped
1 tbsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp crushed chili pepper
4 sprigs of dill, chopped
6 cloves
6 black peppercorns
12 allspice berries
1l malt vinegar
dark brown sugar

Directions:
Brush any salt from the herring then place in a pan of cold water
and soak over night (soak for 30+ hours if using commercial herring).
Once soaked, discard the water then pat the herring dry
and slice into pieces about 2 inches wide.
Combine with the onions in a bowl then add all the remaining ingredients (except the vinegar and sugar). Toss to combine then set aside to marinate for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

After this time combine the vinegar and sugar
in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Stuff the herring and the onion and herb mixture into sterilized pickling jars then pour the hot sweetened vinegar over the top. Seal well and store in a cool place, turning at least twice daily to ensure that the vinegar and all the flavours penetrate the fish.

The herring can be eaten after 4 days,
but the flavour improves if left for a few days mo