The Swedes enjoy pickled herring with cheese and butter on bread, chased by several glasses of schnapps. Martha Stewart, on the other hand, prefers to eat it as a sneaky late-night snack. Speaking to Town and Country, she confessed she feasts on the fish before bed because “it’s savory and good.” Her other guilty pleasures? A spoonful of high quality peanut butter, liverwurst, and slices of American cheese snagged from her housekeeper’s drawer.
But the pickled fish isn’t just a red herring: Martha’s list of favorite recipes includes a number of fishy delights. In an exclusive interview with Daily Meal, the chef waxed lyrical about honey and mustard-glazed salmon, as well as “beautifully composed” salads, such as the classic Niçoise, which consists of tinned tuna chopped up with eggs, lettuce, olives, and potatoes.
The media mogul, who published her 100th cookbook in 2024, is renowned for her quirky eating habits. Forget plastic-packed airplane meals; when traveling, Stewart packs hard-boiled eggs fresh from her own farm, and she told Kelly Clarkson that she’s literally never ordered takeout. But her favorite comfort food is a nod to her Polish roots: pierogi, which are Polish dumplings, come in a range of flavors from cabbage and potato, to peach, plum, and apricot, harking back to the flavors of her mother’s kitchen.
How to eat pickled herring
Herring is a healthy pick, packed with B12 vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, and it’s been a staple in northern European diets for centuries. Pickled herring is an essential aspect of the Swedish diet: historically, coastal dwellers enjoyed the fish fresh, but it was pickled to make it easier to transport to the midlands. Now, it’s often eaten with Limpa bread or as part of a smorgasbord.
And you can pickle it yourself at home. Just get your hands on some fresh herring fillets, soak them overnight in a salty brine, and then stack them in a jar with sliced red onions and lemons. Next, pour over a sugar, vinegar, spice, and water mix, and wait at least a day before eating them — or a night, if you’re Martha Stewart.
And while the TV sensation tucks into the salty snack after-hours, it also makes for a tasty lunch. Chef Jamie Oliver serves pickled herring with sour cream, fresh chives, and red onion, alongside a lemon quarter and buttered slice of rye bread. And you can even make your own rye bread, using a flour with bran and germ if you prefer a fluffier dough. Or, of course, you can simply indulge in the delight of sneaking a pickled herald straight from the pack before you call it a night.
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