Herring oil is a simple and delicious cold appetizer that doesn't take much effort to prepare. At the same time, this nutritious product is great for breakfast or for a light snack.
It is not difficult to prepare herring oil, however, there are some features, given which, you can give the appetizer excellent taste. Perhaps the most important thing is to choose the right ingredients. Almost any butter can be used for cooking, except for cheap spreads and products with added vegetable fats. Vologda or peasant oil is well suited, which is better to buy by weight on the market, abandoning products from supermarket shelves.
It doesn't make much sense to use homemade oil: it is too fatty and contains a lot of lactose, which in combination with herring can cause stomach upset.
It is necessary to choose low-fat herring, spicy medium salting. The ideal option would be to salt the herring yourself, sprinkle it with salt and sugar, add black peppercorns, bay leaves and wrap it in a plastic bag for a day. After salting, the herring must be cleaned and gutted, removing the ridge and large bones. As a result, you should get two loins, which must be lightly coated with 8% vinegar and left in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes, then rinsed under running water.
While the herring is marinating, you can make an oil dressing that will add a varied and richer flavor to the appetizer. There are many options for preparing a dressing, many do without it at all: this way the herring oil will turn out to be more delicate. Herring flavor can be perfectly complemented with dill and parsley, green onions, a small amount of grated avocado skins. You can also add a little grated onion or onion fried peeled from oil to the oil. If you need a more pronounced taste of seafood, pickled capelin caviar can be added to the herring oil.
There are two main options for preparing this great snack, each with its own way of mixing the ingredients. In any case, the butter must first be thawed to room temperature, it can also be cut into small slices. In the first case, the herring is finely chopped with a knife until the medium fraction is minced, mixed with grated onions and ground pepper. Put butter in the resulting mass at the rate of 350-400 grams per one medium herring. Next, add finely chopped greens and crush the mixture with a fork until a thick paste with a uniform consistency is formed.
With the help of cling film, the oil can be given the desired shape by rolling it into a bar, loaf or tube. To prevent the oil from sticking to the film, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs before laying it out.
The second cooking method is to grind butter, herring fillets and dressing with a blender. As a result, you should get a uniform mass of a pleasant yellow-pink color, into which you need to add chopped herbs and spices. Unlike the first method, such oil cannot be served immediately. It should be kept in the freezer for about an hour to harden the mass. Serve the butter with dry toasts as an appetizer for an aperitif or ready-made - on sandwiches with fresh vegetables.
