Pickled Herring

• 1/4 cup salt
• 0.25 Kg fresh herring fillets, boned
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon allspice berries
• 1 tablespoon white peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

- Dissolve 3 tablespoons of the salt in 3 cups cold water. Place the herring fillets in the saltwater, cover, and refrigerate for about 12 hours.
-Place the remaining salt, the vinegar, sugar, allspice berries, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a small saucepan with 1 cup water. Stir over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and cool.
Remove the herring from the saltwater and place in a shallow baking dish. Lay the onion on top of the fish, then pour on the pickling mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve directly from the dish.

Panfried Fish “Sandwiches”

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup snipped fresh dill leaves
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 32 sardines, anchovies, small herrings, or smelts, boned
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 eggs
• Bread crumbs, preferably homemade for dredging
• Lemon wedges

-Cream together 4 tablespoons of the butter with the dill, mustard, and some salt and pepper. (You can do this in a small food processor; make sure the butter is nearly ice cold.) Rinse and dry the cleaned fish well. Spread a small amount of the dill butter on the inside of half of the fillets, then top with another fillet to create a sandwich; sprinkle these with salt and pepper.

-Put the remaining butter, along with the olive oil, in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Dip each sandwich in the egg, then dredge in the bread crumbs; when the butter melts, add the sandwiches to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, a total of less than 5 minutes. Adjust the heat so that the fat is bubbling but not burning. Serve hot or at room temperature, with the lemon wedges.