Name: Śledź w oleju z cebulą: Polish herring with onion
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 870 min
Yield: 8 appetizer servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 800 g skinless, boneless salt-cured herring fillets labelled ready to eat; About 3 L cold potable water total, enough to cover the fish in both water changes; 250 g yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced; 200 mL mild rapeseed or canola oil; 1 g freshly ground black pepper

A wide view of „Śledź w oleju z cebulą: Polish herring with onion“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 8 appetizer servings

Serving size about 100 g drained herring, plus onion and oil

Difficulty easy

Category Polish cold fish appetizer; contains fish

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Śledź w oleju z cebulą: Polish herring with onion

Salt-cured herring, thinly sliced onion and black pepper rest together under mild rapeseed oil for a simple cold appetizer.

Śledź w oleju z cebulą is a Polish cold herring dish built around a short ingredient list: salt-cured herring, onion, oil and black pepper. The fish is desalted to taste, cut into bite-size pieces and layered with onion before it rests in the refrigerator.

Herring has a long place in Polish food culture, especially in coastal communities, and versions with onion and oil appear in everyday meals as well as festive spreads. The Pomorskie product listed by Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture as “Śledzie marynowane w oleju” is a separate, sharp-sour preparation; this simpler recipe does not claim that regional listing or its marinade.

Use fillets sold ready to eat, since this recipe has no cooking step. A short, refrigerated soak mellows the salt, while an overnight rest lets the onion perfume the fish. Serve it cold with rye bread or boiled potatoes.

Tips for a good result

Buy salt-cured herring clearly labelled ready to eat, and follow its package directions; do not use raw herring for this no-cook recipe.
Keep the fish covered and refrigerated while it desalts. The salt level varies by product, so taste a small piece near the end rather than relying on the clock alone.
Change the soaking water once, after about an hour, then drain the fish thoroughly.
Pat the pieces very dry before layering. Excess water dilutes the oil and can make the appetizer watery.
Slice the onion thinly so it sits evenly between the herring pieces.
Refrigerate the covered jar or dish for 12–24 hours, and return it to the refrigerator promptly after serving.

Ingredients

800 g skinless, boneless salt-cured herring fillets labelled ready to eat
About 3 L cold potable water total, enough to cover the fish in both water changes
250 g yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
200 mL mild rapeseed or canola oil
1 g freshly ground black pepper

Method

Directions

Desalt the herring under refrigerationCheck the package directions and use only salt-cured herring sold ready to eat. If the fish is very salty, rinse it briefly under cold water. Place the fillets in a covered bowl, add enough cold water to cover them and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Change the water after 1 hour. Near the end, taste a small piece and stop soaking when it is pleasantly seasoned; the required time varies by product. Keep the bowl refrigerated throughout.
Drain and cut the fishDrain the herring in a colander and pat it thoroughly dry with clean towels. Check for and remove any remaining pin bones, then cut the fillets into even 2–3 cm pieces.
Layer with onion, oil and pepperThinly slice the onion. In a clean glass jar or covered dish, arrange alternating layers of herring and onion, sprinkling the 1 g black pepper between them. Pour in the measured oil so it runs through the gaps and coats the layers. The oil does not make the fish shelf-stable.
Chill and serveCover and refrigerate at or below 4 °C for 12–24 hours. Serve cold. Keep the dish refrigerated between servings and use within 2 days of preparation.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeabout 100 g drained herring, plus onion and oil
Caloriesabout 375 kcal
Carbohydratesabout 4 g
Proteinabout 18 g
Fatabout 32 g
Fibreabout 1 g
Sodiumabout 900 mg; varies substantially by product

Approximate estimate for one eighth of the recipe, using generic ingredient-composition data for herring, onion and rapeseed oil. The calculation assumes all measured oil is divided among the portions. The amount of oil actually eaten and, especially, the salt remaining after curing and soaking depend on the product and serving. Values are rounded estimates, not laboratory results; check the herring label if sodium intake matters.

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Bring the covered dish to the table only for serving, and offer small portions with rye bread or boiled potatoes. The herring should remain firm, with onion between the pieces and a light coating of oil. Make it 12–24 hours ahead so the onion and pepper have time to settle into the fish.

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Keep the herring covered at or below 4 °C and use within 2 days of preparation. Do not store it at room temperature, in a pantry, or as a shelf-stable preserve. Discard it if it has been left out for more than 2 hours.

Contains fish. Use commercial salt-cured herring labelled ready to eat and follow the package instructions. This recipe has no cooking step: soaking and covering fish with oil do not make raw fish safe or control parasites. Desalt the fillets only in the refrigerator at or below 4 °C, keep them separate from ready-to-eat foods while handling, and clean hands, utensils and surfaces after contact. Keep the finished dish covered and cold, do not leave it out for more than 2 hours, and use it within 2 days.

Taste a small piece before ending the soak; the salt level varies among brands.

Dry the herring well and keep the layered dish refrigerated; the oil is not a preservation method.

Śledź w oleju z cebulą: Polish herring with onion

Tips for a good result

Ingredients

Method

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

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