Herring is an important food fish in many parts of the world. It is a silvery fish which also known as “silver darlings”.
It played a pivotal role in the history of marine fisheries in Europe and have a long history as an important food fish. Herring are often salted, smoked, or pickled.
Herring is a great source of lean protein. A three-ounce serving of herring contains 20 grams of protein. In addition, herring also contains many other nutrients that our body really needs, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and selenium. The omega-3 fatty acids that herring has makes it loaded with EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). These fatty acids help prevent heart disease and keep the brain functioning properly. They also seem to be effective in reducing inflammatory conditions, such as Crohn’s disease and arthritis.
Herring is often preserved as food by pickling, and pickled herring remains a popular food in many parts of the world, mainly in Europe. Herring is great, but you can make your herring more nutritious and delicious by pickling it with rice koji.
Rice koji is steamed rice that’s fermented by adding koji starter on it, then the koji mould will grow on the rice, subsequently breaking down to produce glutamate (umami). It is widely used for making miso, shio koji, amazake, for fermentating foods, and more.
Koji is a famously known traditional ingredient from Japan, but not many people know about its healthy benefits. If you want to know more about what is rice koji and what nutrients it has, please check this articles below!
Then, you can make your pickled herring with rice koji at ease.
Pickled Herring Fish with Rice Koji Recipe
Pickled Herring Fish and Vegetables with Rice Koji
Ingredients
- 550 grams Cabbage
- 310 grams Radish
- 120 grams Carrot
- 20 grams Ginger
- 30 grams Crude salt 3% of the weight of vegetables
- 100 grams Dried rice koji
- 3 Dried Herring Fish
- Appropriate amount Warm water (50-60 ℃)
Instructions
Day 1
- Soak the dried herring fish in the water that has been used to wash rice for a day to rehydrate it. The water that has been used to wash rice contains a fatty ingredient called "bran", which has the effect of removing harshness and bitterness from the fish, and bringing out sweetness and umami.
- Cut the vegetables. Cut cabbage into bite-sized pieces, carrots and ginger into shredded pieces.
- Add the salt to the chopped vegetables, then mix them and leave for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the vegetables are hydrated.
- Stir the vegetables upside down with hand or spoon/laddle, and leave for another 30 minutes.
- Now, it's one hour after adding the salt. Put all the mixed vegetables along with the water that comes out from the vegetables in a storage ziplock bag, remove the air, and put in the refrigerator overnight.
Day 2
- In the second day, put the rice koji in lukewarm water (50-60 ℃), and soak it for about 30 minutes to to rehydrate it. After 30 minutes, drain the excess water with a colander.
- Take out the abdominal bones of the hydrated herring, and cut into bite-sized pieces. It's a small bone, so if you don't mind it, you can leave it as it is.
- Put the pickled vegetables, cut herring, and rice koji in a bowl and mix them thoroughly. Do not throw away the water from the vegetables and just put it in the bowl.
- When the rice koji is all over the vegetables, put it back in the storage bag, deflate it, and put it in the refrigerator for another 1-2 days.
- After 1-2 days, the pickled herring and vegetables are completed! If you eat it soon, you can eat it as lightly pickled herring and vegetables without sourness.
If you have dried koji, you may need to rehydrate it. Read this article below to know how to rehydrate dried koji!
Recommended Rice Koji Products
Also Available on Amazon USA
Dried Koji, Malted Rice from Organic White Rice, Meat Tenderizer Umami Seasoning 860g (30.3oz) – Made in Japan, for Miso, Amazake Sweet Sake, Pickles, by Kawashimaya
Handmade dried koji made by craftsmen using only JAS Organic certified white rice from Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Produced and dried naturally without additives to preserve the original aroma and flavor of the koji. Taste the subtle sweetness and balance umami from rice koji.
