Sweet and Sour Herring Rollmops

Ingredients

• 4 herring, filleted with the bones removed (to yield 8 fillets)
• 40 g sea salt
• 100 g white sugar
• 400 ml apple cider vinegar
• 100 ml red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp red peppercorns
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 small brown onion, finely sliced

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim any fins on the herring fillets with a sharp pair of scissors, and with a pair of tweezers remove any large bones the fishmonger might have missed. Transfer them to a dish where they can sit happily in 1-2 layers.

2. 2

   Stir the 40g sea salt into 400ml of cold water until the salt has completely dissolved. I find flaky sea salt dissolves best here. Pour over the fillets and leave to brine for 2-3 hours.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, combine the sugar, vinegars, whole spices and bay leaf in a small saucepan. Set over a medium-high heat, and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes before removing from the heat to allow the spices to infuse while to cools.

4. 4

   Rinse the herring under the cold tap, and pat them dry on a piece of kitchen paper. With the skin side down, roll them into rolls packing as much of the sliced onion as you can into the spirals. Secure with a toothpick, and transfer them to a 1L clip top jar, layering with some of the onion also as you go.

5. 5

   Pour over the pickling mixture. You might not need it all, but try to pack as many of the whole spices as you can into the jar.

6. 6

   Refrigerate for at least 3 days before eating!