Bismarck-Style Smoked Herring

Name: Räucherhering Bismarck-Art
Total time: 24 h
Ingredients: 80 g Grobes Salz; 100 ml Weißweinessig; 800 ml Wasser; 60 g Zwiebeln (in Ringe geschnitten); 3 Stück Lorbeerblätter; 8 g Senfkörner; 15 g Zucker; 6 g Schwarze Pfefferkörner

MarinadeFishCold SmokingMedium24-36 hrsN/A (Cold smoking)18-22 °CBeech

Bismarck herring is traditionally a marinated herring, but here it is prepared in a combined curing and cold-smoking variant that produces an intense flavor. The combination of salt, vinegar marinade, and beech smoke makes this herring particularly aromatic. Named after German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who was particularly fond of this herring preparation.

Ingredients(for 1 kg)

Coarse salt80 g

White wine vinegar100 ml

Water800 ml

Onions (sliced into rings)60 g

Bay leaves3 Stück

Mustard seeds8 g

Sugar15 g

Black peppercorns6 g

Instructions

Salt curing

4 hours

Gut and wash herring. Cure in 8% salt brine (80g salt per 1 liter water) in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Vinegar marinade

4-6 hours

Rinse fish. Prepare marinade from vinegar, water, onions, bay leaves, mustard seeds, pepper, and sugar. Marinate fish in refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Drying

1-2 hours

Remove fish from marinade, drain, and lay out on smoking racks. Dry at room temperature (max. 20°C) until the surface is dry and slightly tacky.

Cold smoking

8-10 hours

Cold smoke with beech wood dust for 8-10 hours at 18-22°C. Fish should take on a light golden to amber hue.

Pro Tip

The short pre-brining in salt solution before the vinegar marinade ensures better texture and prevents the fish from becoming too soft from the acid. Don't overdo the vinegar.

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