The trick to pickling today is to find fresh herring or fresh salted herring. Once you've pickled it, use the herring in any favorite recipe, or just mix it as I do, with sour cream, red onion, and dill, to break the fast of Yom Kippur. It will keep for weeks.

　　

Ingredients

Yield: about 6 cups (P)

　　6 Canadian herrings

　　1 tablespoon to 1/2 cup sugar

　　1 cup white vinegar or to cover

　　1 large onion, sliced

　　1 thinly sliced lemon (optional)

　　2 cloves

　　6 peppercorns

　　4 bay leaves

　　

Step 1

1. Remove the heads from the herring and scale the fish. Wash well, open them, and remove the milt (roe of male fish). Clean the fish well, drain. Lay the herring and milt in water to cover in the refrigerator overnight.

　　

Step 2

2. The next day rub the milt glands through a sieve or mash them well, and mix with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and a few tablespoons of the vinegar.

　　

Step 3

3. Place in a 1 1/2-quart jar in layers the herring, onion, lemon slices, cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaves.

　　

Step 4

4. Add the milt gland mixture, the remaining vinegar, and as much of the remaining sugar as your taste dictates.

　　

Step 5

5. Cover the jar and keep in the refrigerator for at least 4 days.

　　Reprinted with permission from Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan. © 1998 Knopf