Sild

Erken's homemade ansjos (1914), Norway's spiced sprats: 6 l small herring/sprats sit 4 hours in a brine of 3 l water and 1 l salt, are drained, and layered at once in a jar with oil in the bottom, belly up and every other layer reversed. Ground spices are strewn between the layers, then it matures cool for 6–8 weeks.

Fresh herring, deboned and each stuffed with an anchovy, brushed with egg and milk, breaded in rusk crumbs, rye flour and salt, and fried golden in butter. Served with mashed potatoes, vegetables and butter or a sweet-and-sour sauce.

Erken's breakfast herring from 1914: cleaned large sprats are salted 3 hours, wiped dry, rolled around a pitted olive, packed tightly into small glass jars and covered with a whisked mixture of cooking oil, vinegar, water, sugar and pepper. Keeps a long time in airtight screw-top jars.

Classic kryddersild (spiced herring) from Erken's Stor kokebok 1914: fresh herring is pre-salted for 5 hours, left 18 hours in vinegar, dried, and layered in a crock with coarsely crushed allspice, cloves, white pepper, bay leaf, and confectioners' sugar. Pressed and matured for 3–4 weeks.

Lucifer herring (lucifersild) from Erken 1914: a cold herring salad of soaked herring cut in strips, mixed with boiled potatoes and raw apples, dressed with a piquant dressing of onion, parsley, chervil, tarragon, oil, vinegar and pepper.

A short serving instruction from Erken 1914: smoked herring is served split with hard-boiled egg or salad and sprinkled with parsley.

Erken's rolled herring from 1914: soaked salt herring is filleted, filled with onion, pepper and whole mustard, rolled and placed in a marinade of oil, vinegar, pepper and sugar.

Salt herring in cases from Erken 1914: soaked herring in strips is layered with slices of boiled potatoes in small molds together with onion cooked in butter, sprinkled with rusk crumbs and parsley, and heated 10 minutes in a low oven.

Soaked salt herring is split, each half wrapped in buttered paper and fried in a pan until the paper is golden brown; served in the paper with hot potatoes, cold butter, and flatbread.

Erken 1914: soaked salt herring cut into pieces, wrapped in buttered paper with breadcrumbs and fried slowly in a pan; served around a purée of well-cooked green peas seasoned with butter, salt, sugar, and pepper.

Erken's pickled salt herring (1914): cured herring is soaked overnight, split, and placed in a brine of vinegar, water, peppercorns, sugar, red onion, and bay leaf; cut into pieces and served cold. The brine can be reused.

Soaked salt herring is skinned, split, turned in rye flour, and fried in butter; served with browned butter and stewed carrots or beets.

Erken's simplest salted-herring dish: the herring is soaked overnight in water or milk-and-water, skinned and boned, and served raw with finely sliced onion and parsley.

Herring à la russe from Erken 1914: soaked salt or matjes herring is cut into angled pieces and laid in a homemade mayonnaise with hard-boiled egg, pickle, tomato purée and parsley, left to steep two hours and garnished with cress and tomato.

Erken 1914: small individual molds with finely cut soaked salt herring and boiled potatoes, filled with a custard of cream, egg yolks and parsley, baked until set and served warm.

Erken 1914: soaked salt herring cut into pieces and turned in a cold sauce of hard-boiled egg yolks, oil, vinegar and cream with mustard, sugar, pepper and parsley; garnished with onion, beets and hard-boiled egg.

Erken 1914: a layered dish of soaked salt herring, hard-boiled egg slices, boiled potato slices and browned onion, covered with cream whisked with egg, salt, pepper and parsley, baked about 30 minutes in a moderate oven.

Erken's basic method for salting herring: cleaned, dried herring rests 18 hours in a brine strong enough to float an egg, then is packed belly-down in a stoneware crock in layers with salt and Spanish hops, pressed down into the brine and cured cool for 1½–2 months. Freshened in half milk, half water before use.

Erken's simple recipe for boiled fresh herring from 1914: the herring is cleaned and boiled whole in salted water with onion, peppercorns and vinegar in an enameled pot, plated with boiled carrots and turnips, strewn with parsley and served with parsley butter.

Fresh herring cut in three, layered in a crock with salt, whole pepper, onion and bay, covered with equal parts vinegar and water and cooked in a water bath until the flesh loosens from the bone. Served cold and keeps a long time when cool.

Herring balls of finely chopped soaked salt herring, boiled potatoes and leftover boiled/fried meat bound with potato starch and pepper; formed into small balls, fried in fat and served with beet salad.

Herring fricassee from Erken's Stor kokebok 1914: fresh herring is boiled in salted water and set on a platter, while carrots and parsley roots are boiled tender; the stock is used for a roux-based butter and flour sauce that simmers 10 minutes, mixed with the cut roots, chives and parsley and poured over the fish.

Erken's herring cakes from 1914: fresh herring fillet is ground four times with salt, seasoned with pepper and ginger, mixed with sour cream, formed into thin cakes and fried in butter.

Herring patties: herring fillets are paired two by two, pounded flat, dipped in milk and seasoned rusk crumbs, and fried golden brown in butter. Served with carrot or pea stew; the trimmings go into herring soup.

Herring pancake from Erken 1914: cleaned small herring without head and tail are dredged in flour and salt, fried packed close together in browned butter, flipped with a lid, and covered with whisked egg with milk/cream and finely cut chives before frying to light brown. Egg and cream can be omitted.

Herring Pudding I: soaked salt herring in slices layered with boiled potato slices in a greased dish (potatoes at the bottom and top), covered with a mixture of flour, egg, milk, and pepper, baked half an hour in a hot oven and served with melted butter.

Herring Pudding II from Erken's Stor kokebok 1914: soaked salt herring is ground with boiled potatoes, mixed with milk, butter, and pepper, baked in a dish in a hot oven for half an hour and served with stewed vegetables.