Markets and store shelves today offer a wide range of different types of fish. Many of us like to include herring in our diet, and this is no coincidence. According to experts, its use has a positive effect on the human body. Fish has a number of valuable nutritional properties, and the product also contains fatty acids and vitamins. Frequent consumption of herring dishes helps to increase mental activity and performance, strengthens the immune system, as well as the cardiovascular system.
Before preparing such dishes, it is very important to familiarize yourself with the rules for choosing fish, as well as study information on how to store salted or fresh herring in the home refrigerator correctly. Find out a few simple ways to help your product not spoil over a long period of time.
How to store salted herring: basic rules
There are only 4 main rules for storing herring :
- Salted fish should only be placed in sealed packaging, otherwise the smell will transfer to other foods in the refrigerator.
- Fish should be stored exclusively in glass or plastic containers.
- This container should close well, ideally hermetically.
- Do not rush to peel the herring. This will retain the maximum amount of moisture in the fish.
Purchased herring must be eaten immediately or provided with the correct storage conditions.
General recommendations for storing herring
Regardless of the storage method chosen, it is important to adhere to the following rules:
- To prevent neighboring products from absorbing the specific smell of herring, it is hermetically packaged.
- A metal container is not suitable for storing herring. If the fish was in an iron can when purchased, then before sending it to the refrigerator, it is first transferred to glass or plastic.
- To prevent the fish from becoming dry and salty when it loses moisture, the container for storing it should have the tightest possible lid.
- After dressing the herring and cutting it into pieces, it is not recommended to remove the skin from them. This will prevent moisture loss and the product will not dry out.
Immediately after purchasing salted herring, the housewife must create suitable storage conditions for it or eat it during the next meal.
And also see how long you can store herring under a fur coat in the refrigerator..
How to preserve salted herring in the refrigerator in a marinade
Pickling is another way to store salted herring. This is not difficult to do: you need to cut the herring into portions and place them in glass/plastic containers.
The composition of the marinade can be as follows:
- chilled boiled water;
- vegetable oil;
- mayonnaise;
- Apple vinegar;
- greenery;
- mustard.
There are no clear instructions about proportions - here everyone is free to experiment as they wish. The fish must be filled with the prepared solution. Store in a sealed container. How long can such herring be stored in the refrigerator ? According to the rules - up to 3 days.
In the freezer
Before freezing, fresh herring must be carefully packaged in cling film or foil. This will protect the fish from spoilage and allow it to retain its taste and color for a long time - up to six months. How long frozen herring will actually be stored depends on the tightness of the packaging and the quality of the product itself.
Salted fish can also be stored in the freezer. To do this, you need to cut it into pieces and put it in a food-grade plastic container. By the way, in exactly the same way you can preserve not only salted, but also pickled, lightly salted and even smoked herring for up to several months.
Frozen fish can only be thawed once. Repeated heat treatment will negatively affect its taste and nutritional properties.
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How to store salted herring in the refrigerator for as long as possible without brine and in brine
Frozen herring can be stored for as long as possible – up to six months. You can store frozen fish in different ways:
- In oil;
- fish fillets, packaged;
- fish without entrails in vacuum packaging;
- whole fish in brine.
It doesn’t matter how you preserve salted herring at home: without brine or with it, the fish must be defrosted properly. This should only be done in the refrigerator compartment.
Various storage methods
It is possible to preserve herring in various ways for a period from several days to six months.
Depending on the degree of salting
Some people believe that if the fish is in the refrigerator, it doesn’t matter how salted it is. But, in fact, this product will last for a different time depending on how you salt it. It is useful for any housewife to know the shelf life of herring in the refrigerator, focusing on the degree of salting:
- lightly salted - up to 10 hours;
- medium salted - 15-20 hours;
- well salted - up to 48 hours.
Herring of any degree of salting left for a long time without refrigeration quickly deteriorates.
Without brine
It is allowed to store herring without brine for 2 days. After this period, the fish does not always become unfit for consumption, but its taste is already greatly affected, and its appearance also deteriorates. During this time, the herring dries out and acquires a metallic taste as the fat oxidizes under the influence of oxygen.
To store herring without brine, it is recommended to use any glass, ceramic or plastic container with a tight lid. The optimal storage temperature is +4 °C, and the most suitable place is the top or middle shelf of the refrigerator.
In brine
Salted herring with brine can be stored for 20 days. A saline solution in which the fish was sold or a homemade one, prepared with your own hands, is suitable for this. The brine is prepared from 200 g of salt and 1 liter of water. The salt solution is brought to a boil, cooled to 25 °C, and then poured over the herring.
It is advisable to salt the fish cleaned, since the offal is a source of bacteria. Some housewives separate the fillets from the bones, while others leave them - there is no difference. Place the pieces in containers and then pour in brine so that it completely covers the herring. After this, the container is tightly closed and kept in the refrigerator. Storage in the basement is allowed, but not longer than 10 days.
The degree of salinity depends on how long the fish is stored in brine. Lovers of lightly salted herring should eat it within 1 week.
In oil
Oil preserves from herring can be stored in sealed packaging for 8 weeks. It is recommended to eat the opened product within 1-2 days. If you store an opened container longer, the herring may spoil and cause food poisoning.
Some housewives prefer to cook herring with butter themselves. To do this, they separate the salted herring and cut it into pieces. Place it in glass jars and fill it with sunflower or olive oil. After this, close the container with an airtight lid. You need to eat such a product without harm to your health within 3-4 days.
In the marinade
If you decide to marinate the fish, then this will not increase its shelf life, but you will get a tasty product. The herring is cleaned, cut into portions, and placed in jars. The marinade is prepared from chilled boiling water, vegetable oil, mustard, and herbs. Some also use mayonnaise. Everyone is free to choose the proportions to their own taste.
To better preserve the pickled herring, add apple cider vinegar to the sauce. The prepared marinade is poured over the herring, and then the product is well packaged. Pickled herring can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours.
Be sure to look at how long to store marinated meat in the refrigerator!
Video: how to pickle herring
How to pickle herring Pickled herring Delicious pickled herring
Watch this video on YouTube
In a vacuum bag
Vacuum bags are often used to sell herring. Thanks to them, the product is easier to transport and can be stored longer. This type of product allows you to store it for up to 35 days. At the same time, such packaging protects other products from the specific smell of fish. After opening the package, the herring should be eaten within a day (maximum 48 hours). After this time, it will become dry and have an unpleasant taste.
Frozen
Not only fresh but also salted herring is stored in the freezer compartment. Freezing allows you to prepare a lot of this product in reserve. It is stored in the freezer in different ways:
- pieces placed in jars with added oil;
- fillets placed in tight bags;
- gutted carcass in a vacuum;
- whole fish with added saline solution.
Herring can be frozen and stored for six months. To prevent the liquid from freezing out, the product is packaged in sealed bags before being sent to the freezer. In order for frozen herring to retain its taste and texture, it is important to defrost it correctly.
The best option for defrosting is the refrigerator compartment. Putting herring in hot water, a microwave oven, or keeping it at room temperature is unacceptable.
Fresh
Keeping fresh herring in the refrigerator is allowed for 48 hours. At the same time, it should lie in an airtight container (jar, container or bag). Fresh fish must be frozen, but before that it must be cut up and the giblets removed. The elasticity and taste will be preserved if repeated freezing is avoided. In order for a product to have a long shelf life, its quality must be at its best even when purchased.
How to store salted herring at home: choosing herring
The question of how to preserve salted herring is inextricably linked with the right choice of fish:
- Fresh fish always has a silvery skin, red spots, damage and plaque indicate that it is overdue.
- The belly of the fish should be elastic: press your finger on the surface of the herring. If after releasing the finger the dent remains, then it is better not to buy the product.
- Herring, like any fish, is selected by its gills: the bright red color indicates the freshness of the product.
- Its cloudy eyes “speak” of expired fish.
- You should not buy fish without a head: the seller is probably trying to disguise its staleness.
If fish is sold in factory packaging, always pay attention to the expiration date sticker.
Attention! Re-gluing of stickers (one sticker has another pasted on it) indicates a delay. Don't buy this product.
What do you need to know about the safety of herring?
The optimal temperature balance for storing a gift from the sea or ocean in salted form is considered to be an interval from 2 to 5 positive degrees. The refrigerator compartment is best suited for this.
Only the freshest fish, which must not be damaged, is allowed to be preserved. It is permissible to store salted herring in various ways. You can leave the product in a package that already contains brine.
Often fish carcasses are cut up and left in a home-made brine. Sometimes brine with the addition of beer is used. Some people use vegetable oil. Vacuum packaging is ideal, in which salted herring can be kept for a long time.
Carcasses should be cleaned and dried before storage. The fish must be cleaned of its entrails so that pathogenic bacteria do not multiply. You can store herring in its skin. This will preserve the taste and benefits of the product for a long time.
Salted herring can be stored for only a few hours when exposed to air. To extend shelf life, fish is wrapped in foil or plastic wrap as packaging.
A lot of salted herring should not be kept bulky. Whole fish and fillets are stored separately, packaged in waterproof and airtight containers. By salting the herring yourself, you can also extend its shelf life.
Herring in mustard-mayonnaise sauce
- herring - 1 pc.;
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- mayonnaise – 3 tablespoons;
- table mustard – 1 tbsp.;
- lemon juice – 1 tbsp;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- sugar – 1.5 tsp;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
Cut the fish carcass into fillets and cut into pieces. For the dressing, combine mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, and add 2 tablespoons of water. Combine the fish with the dressing, add ground black pepper and bay leaf. Place everything in a container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Several interesting recipes
The mayonnaise-mustard recipe, which is rightfully considered one of the most delicious, is perfect for short-term storage of herring. Having adopted it, you need to eat the fish within 2-3 days.
- To prepare the dish, cut the fish, remove the bones, skin and cut into fillet pieces.
- In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise with a spoonful of mustard sauce. Add a pinch of ground black pepper, sugar, pour in a large spoon of lemon juice and stir.
- Finely chop the onion and mix the herring with the rest of the ingredients in a glass jar.
- Gently tamp down so that the fish is completely covered with the filling, close with a lid and place in the refrigerator to marinate for a day.
Herring with apples and horseradish is no less tasty. The shelf life of the dish is 2-3 days.
- You will need one lightly salted fish, cut it into portions.
- Take 1 apple, cut into slices, sprinkle with lemon juice and fry in sunflower oil until golden brown.
- Cool, grate a spoonful of horseradish root, mix with apples, 100 g of mayonnaise, sugar and salt to taste.
- Combine the herring with the marinade in an airtight container and place in a cool place for a day before use.
If you don’t have time for complex recipes and you just want to preserve the salted herring for a couple of days, you can put the fillet pieces in a glass jar, pour in sunflower oil, cover with a lid and shake. Herring should stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
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Herring under a Fur Coat
The well-known salad of boiled vegetables and pieces of salted herring is often prepared from this fish. But not everyone knows how long herring under a fur coat can be stored in the refrigerator. To understand how long it can be stored, it is important to evaluate the shelf life of all ingredients included in the dish.
Eggs and mayonnaise will spoil first; onions will speed up this process.
According to sanitary standards, herring salad under a fur coat is good for 12 hours. But the established standards are always taken into account “with a margin”, so you can store the salad in the refrigerator for about 48 hours.
The shelf life of a salad with mayonnaise largely depends on the products it contains; you can find out about other favorite salads with this sauce in a special article at the link.
