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Ansjos (Norwegian Spiced Sprats)

Erken's homemade ansjos (1914), Norway's spiced sprats: 6 l of small herring/sprats sit for 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. Between the layers are strewn ground spices (pepper, allspice, clove, cardamom, mace, sugar) mixed with chopped hops, plus fine salt and bay leaf. The rest of the oil is poured over, weighted down, tied off, and matured cool for 6–8 weeks.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 119 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Erken's instructions for putting up ansjos (Norwegian spiced sprats) from small herring at home. Anchovy herring was an autumn product; the book also explains how to tell the right quality – the fish should feel "sharp as a saw" along the belly.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Choosing the herring

    Use anchovy herring: it feels sharp as a saw when you run a finger along the belly from tail toward head. Best and fattest in September and October.

  2. 2

    Salt in brine

    Put the herring into the mixed water and salt as soon as possible. Let it sit in the brine for 4 hours, lift it out, and set it in a strainer.

  3. 3

    Layer into the jar

    Layer the herring at once into a jar or crock. Put half of the oil in the bottom. Lay the herring belly up, but so that every other layer is reversed head to tail.

  4. 4

    Spices between the layers

    Grind the spices well and mix them with the chopped hops. Strew the mixture between the herring layers along with salt and a couple of bay leaves.

  5. 5

    Fill and weight

    Continue this way until the jar is full. Pour the rest of the oil over and set a light weight on top to keep the herring down. Tie it off.

  6. 6

    Maturing

    Store cool. The herring can be used after 6–8 weeks. If it does not release enough brine, pour on a little brine of boiled, cooled water, salt, and a little sugar.

Changes from the original

Volume measures converted to liters/deciliters ("del." = dl). "Spanish hops" kept as in the original (dried hops for the spice mixture). Modern spelling in the steps; the quantities are otherwise unchanged.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1949 (proofread, p. 144) → 1914 (proofread, p. 119)~36% of the text changedremovedadded
Ingredienser: 6 l. små 1. smaa sild (brisling) 4 l. vann 3 1. vand til saltlaken 1 l. 1. salt 20 gr. støtt pepper 5 gr. allehånde allehaande 5 gr. nellik 10 gr. laurbærblade 10 gr. spansk humle 5 del. fint salt 2 gr. kardemomme kardemome 3 gr. muskatplomme muskatblomme 100 gr. sukker 4 spiseskjeer spiseskeer fin matolje. Ansjossild kjennes på kjendes paa, at den er skarp som en sag å føle på, når at kjende paa, naar man med fingeren stryker den langs buken fra halen mot hodet. Den regnes for best bedst og fetest i september og oktober må ned maaned i det sydlige Norge. Silden legges lægges snarest mulig i det blandede vann vand og salt, ligger heri 4 timer, tas tages op og legges på sikt, lægges paa sigt, derefter straks på glass. paa glas. I bunnen bunden av glasset eller dunken has haves halvparten av oljen; silden legges lægges med buken op, dog således saaledes, at hvertannet hvertandet lag ligger omvendt med hode og hale. Krydderiene Krydderierne støtes godt og blandes med den opkarvede humle, strøes mellem lagene av silden tillikemed salt og et par laurbærblade. Således fortsettes — Saaledes fortsættes, til glasset er fullt, fuldt, resten av oljen helles heldes over, og litt press legges på pres lægges paa for å at holde silden nede. Tilbindes. Opbevares på paa et kjølig sted og kan tas tages i bruk efter 6 å 8 ukers forløp. Laker den sig ikke nok, ha så på saa paa litt lake, laget av kokt, koldt vann, vand, salt og litt sukker.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you recognize true anchovy herring?
Anchovy herring can be told by the fact that it feels sharp as a saw when you run a finger along the belly from tail toward head. It is considered best and fattest in September and October in southern Norway.
How long should the herring sit in the brine?
The herring is placed as soon as possible into the mixed water and salt (3 liters water to 1 liter salt) and sits there for 4 hours. It is then lifted out into a strainer and layered into the jar at once.
How long does the whole process take?
The work itself is quickly done, but the maturing takes a long time – the stated total time is roughly 42 days (60,480 minutes) from the recipe in Stor kokebok 1914, p. 119.
Which spices are used in the ansjos?
Ground pepper (20 g), allspice (5 g), cloves (5 g), bay leaf (10 g), Spanish hops (10 g), cardamom (2 g), mace (3 g), 100 g sugar, 5 dl fine salt, and 4 tablespoons of fine cooking oil – half the oil goes in the bottom of the jar or crock.

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