Marinated Baltic Herring

Pat the Baltic herring fillets dry with a paper towel. Measure out 20 g of salt: use half to season the fish, and set the other half aside for the marinade; season the fish with a pinch of ground black pepper.

Beat the egg with the milk in one bowl, and set out the wheat flour in another. Dip each fillet into the egg-milk mixture, then coat in flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Fry the fillets flesh-side down for 2–3 minutes until deep golden brown, then flip and fry skin-side down for another 2–3 minutes. Transfer the fish to a deep bowl and let cool.

Slice the carrot and onion into thin rounds. Pour water into a saucepan, add the carrot, onion, black peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf, the remaining salt and the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 5–7 minutes, so the carrot keeps a slight bite.

Pour in the 30% vinegar, remove the marinade from the heat and let it cool for 10–15 minutes. The marinade should taste distinctly sweet-and-sour and a touch saltier than needed for the finished fish.

Pour the cooled marinade over the fish along with the carrot, onion and spices. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Serve the herring cold as an appetizer; store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.