Equipment
Ingredients
Herring Base
- 400 g salt herring fillets, whole fillets, skinless
Gratin Ingredients
- 250 ml heavy cream, cold
- 100 g bread crumbs, coarse
- 50 g unsalted butter, melted
Garnish
- 15 g chives, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrates
- 20 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 291 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 23 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 158 mg
- Potassium
- 449 mg
- Calcium
- 150 mg
- Iron
- 2.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 49 mg
- Phosphorus
- 319 mg
- Zinc
- 1.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 395 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin D
- 5.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 13.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.35 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.46 mg
- Niacin
- 4.9 mg
- Folate
- 40 mcg
- Water
- 112 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Submerge the salt herring fillets in a large bowl of cold water. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, changing the water at least once, to extract excess salt from the cure.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
Remove the desalinated herring from the water and pat the fillets completely dry using paper towels.
Arrange the dried fillets in a single, even layer at the bottom of a ceramic gratin dish.
Pour the heavy cream evenly over the herring in the gratin dish.
In a small mixing bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter until the crumbs are completely coated and resemble wet sand.
Scatter the buttered crumbs in a thick, even layer across the surface of the herring and heavy cream.
Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C/390°F for 40 to 45 minutes until the cream is heavily reduced and bubbling, and the crust is completely browned.
Remove the gratin dish from the oven and allow it to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to let the cream sauce stabilize and thicken.
Garnish the surface generously with the finely chopped fresh chives immediately before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Salt herring cures vary drastically by region and producer. The 12-hour soak is a safe baseline, but extremely hard-cured fillets may require up to 24 hours with three total water changes.
- For the highest quality textural contrast, use rustic, coarse sourdough breadcrumbs rather than fine commercial crumbs. The natural acidity of the sourdough balances the extreme richness of the heavy cream.
- Thoroughly drying the herring fillets before assembly is critical. Any residual soaking water trapped on the fish will cause the heavy cream to split and become watery during the high-heat bake.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Reheat gently in a low oven to prevent the cream from splitting and to keep the crust crisp.
Troubleshooting
The finished dish is overwhelmingly salty and inedible
Cause: Insufficient soaking time for the specific salt cure of the herring used
Fix: Cannot be fixed post-baking. Serve alongside completely unseasoned boiled root vegetables or potatoes to balance the palate.
Prevention: Always test a tiny piece of the raw, soaked herring before final assembly to ensure it has a palatable salt level.
The cream splits and turns watery or oily
Cause: The herring fillets were too wet when assembled, or a low-fat cream was used
Fix: Sop up excess separated fat with a paper towel gently dabbed at the corners of the dish.
Prevention: Pat the fish aggressively dry before layering, and ensure the cream used is at least 35 percent milk fat.
Cultural Context
A foundational concept in Nordic winter cuisine, baked salt herring transforms a historically necessary preserved fish into a rich, celebratory dish. During harsh Scandinavian winters, heavily salted catches were the primary protein source. By gently desalinating the fish and enriching it with precious dairy commodities like heavy cream and butter, families created luxurious, warming gratins suitable for the Christmas table.
