Pickled Herring With Sour Cream And Onion

• 1 pound fresh or frozen herring fillets
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 cups rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, ground
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds, ground
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sweet white onion, sliced paper thin
• 1 cup sour cream
• Sliced dark bread, such as pumpernickel or Danish-style rye
• Fresh dill leaves for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Arrange the herring fillets flesh side-up in a single snug layer in a small baking dish. Season the flesh side with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. In a small nonreactive saucepan over low heat, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves, and remaining 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, to steep the aromatics and dissolve the sugar to create a brine, about 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a nonreactive container. Add the onion to the brine, cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
3. If you have a butane kitchen torch, gently run the flame over the skin of the fillets to tenderize. If you don't have one, the herring will still be good, but just a bit less tender on the skin side. Add the herring to the cold brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days.
4. Pour off the brine from the herring and onion and discard the bay leaves. Separate the onions and the herring, then cover and refrigerate the herring. Transfer the onion to a large nonreactive bowl, add the sour cream, and stir gently to mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The pickled herring and the onion mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
5. Spoon pickled onion onto sliced rye bread and top with herring fillets. Garnish with dill and pepper. Serve immediately.

kosher salt, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, black peppercorns, brown mustard seeds, bay leaves, sweet white onion, sour cream, bread, dill, freshly ground black pepper

Taken from food52.com/recipes/31602-pickled-herring-with-sour-cream-and-onion (may not work)