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In an effort to take you on a trip down memory lane, I present to you; selyodka. Don’t laugh. I feel brave posting this. Are you a selyodka lover??
My husband went fishing with my parents this week and brought home the limit of large, beautiful trout. We baked some, smoked a bunch, made silodka, gave some away, and froze the rest. If you’ve never tried this, you’re missing out. I guess you could compare it to Italian anchovies.
If this is new to you, just be aware that your family might look at you like you’re crazy. Politely tell them “it is colturrol egsperrience”(in your best Russian accent; rolling your r’s of course), and calmly continue eating your fish. I can just see you now. Ha ha.
I do like silodka particularly with some fresh homemade bread. It’s strangely good and really easy to make.
Ingredients for selyodka:
2-4 lbs trout, herring, or salmon (we used trout here), gutted, washed (no need to de-scale)
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup grape seed oil or canola oil
For the Marinade:
4 cups water
1 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp coriander
1 Tbsp pepper corns
5-7 bay leaves
How to Make Selyodka:
1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients (1 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp coriander, 1 Tbsp pepper corns and 5-7 bay leaves). Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar, then cool to room temp (set it outside if it’s cold).
2. Slice trout into 1-inch steaks, you can cut your steaks in half if you wish. Discard heads and tails. Place fish in a large bowl.
Pour marinade over the fish steaks, weigh it down with a plate to make sure fish is submerged in the brine, then cover and refrigerate (or put in the garage if it’s very cold out) for 12-14 hours. (We let it marinate in the fridge for 12 hours).
3. Remove fish steaks from the marinade and place them in a jar, stacking them tightly with layers of onion in between. Pour in enough oil to fill the spaces and cover the fish. The oil will keep it moist and presentable. Keep refrigerated.
So, do you eat selyodka?
Selyodka Recipe (European Pickled Fish)

Ingredients
- 2-4 lbs trout, herring or salmon (we used trout this time) gutted, washed (no need to de-scale)
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 cup grape seed oil or canola oil
- For the Marinade:
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp coriander
- 1 Tbsp pepper corns
- 5-7 bay leaves
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients (1 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp coriander, 1 Tbsp pepper corns and 5-7 bay leaves). Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar, then cool to room temp (set it outside if it's cold).
- Slice fish into 1-inch steaks (discard heads and tails) you can cut your steaks in half if you wish. Place fish in a large bowl. Pour marinade over the fish steaks, weigh it down with a plate to make sure fish is submerged in the brine, then cover and refrigerate (or put in the garage if it's very cold out) for 12-14 hours. (We let it marinate in the fridge for 12 hours).
- Remove fish steaks from the marinade and place them in a jar, stacking them tightly with layers of onion in between. Pour in enough oil to fill the spaces and cover the fish. The oil will keep it moist and presentable. Keep refrigerated.
Thanks again for making me feel 10 “again”… so many childhood memories 🙂 My son is going salmon fishing tomorrow – and hope he gets a bit catch ’cause I’ll be making selyodika ..and potatoes on the side…
and do tell your husband Дякуємо вам за “kholodetz” I made it and it tasted just like my Mom’s I use a bit of vinegar instead of horseradish and then used both hmmm hmmm!!!!
I’m glad I found your “Natasha’s Kitchen”.
Irena
That’s awesome! I just told my husband and he was all smiles 🙂
I have eaten smoked seliodka several times with a Russian friend. It was very good.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
You are welcome Pelusa :).
The photos and the recipe brings back memories of my father. He ate and made this picked fish often. He was German though but he would eat the fish as an afternoon lunch break when he came in from the field or from tending to the cows.
That’s sweet that it reminds you of your father. I think there are lots of similarities between Ukrainian and German food :).
I have some frozen salmon. I want to try your recipe, as weird as selodka is 🙂 we love it…
p.s. I need to kick your butt 😉 I had to go to Russian store to get some cold smoked trout. After seen your Instagram pics
Neener neener. lol. It’s funny that we crave such things huh?
Thank you for posting this recipe!!! I love seliodka with baked potatoes. And you know, I’ve tried it firstly being frozen, it is GOOD!!!!!
That’s great to know! Thank you!!
My parents make something like that but it has carrots too. I always ask my parents to marinate it when dad goes fishing. It Works with all the fish I like with trout best. It’s called “ХЕ”- KHE I believe its one of the Tatars recipe. We had a lot of them live in Crimea.
I think trout is my favorite too, well I guess it’s a tie with salmon 🙂
My husband loves this! We always take a jar when his mom makes it and now can try this 🙂 by the way even my kids eat it with zaryna kartoshka for breakfast 😉
You’re the second person to say you have it with potatoes for breakfast. Looks like I’m missing out! 😉
🙂 I remember offering it to some of our non russian friends, and they didn’t know how to politely tell me that they were super grossed out by the “raw” fish! 🙂
Your next question should have been: Do you eat sushi? I guess this is our version of sushi, but at least it is pickled so it’s not completely raw like sushi fish.
Yes, love it! My mom made some with salmon. Still in my fridge. We love offering “ikra” to all of our Canadian friends. Their faces are priceless. But not too much, just a little bit, don’t waste my precious stuff.;)
This is awesome with salmon. How do you make the “ikra”?
Clean with tennis raquet. And then brine.
Yam! I used to love this when we lived in Ukraine, the best breakfast ever is salad, Seledka , and жареная картошка. Non Russians just don’t get it, my husband cannot even look at it, his lost.
ha ha. So true. Try the line at the beginning of this post: Politely tell him “it is colturrol egsperrience”(in your best Russian accent; rolling your r’s of course), and calmly continue eating your fish. Yes, give us fish, potatoes and bread and we will survive. lol
Селедка made with trout! Sounds pretty good, considering that my husband will not eat it – too many small bones. I might make it soon too. Usually I dry cure salmon to get “lox”.
Thank you, Natasha!
Salmon works really well in this recipe too, wee just has trout so that’s what we used :).
Omg, Natasha, my mouth is watering just by looking at this!!
I can tell you are European, LOL :D.
Wow! Trout! I make seledka from herring, but never tried trout before. It can not be a frozen fish though. right?
I think it’s best fresh. I don’t recall my parents ever making it with frozen either.
Reminds me of gravlax and other cold and raw fish marinades. Will definitely try this!
I had to google gravlax, but yes, it seems similar! 🙂
Valerie, I googled gravlax. We also dry rub salmon(and other big fish) this way and get what is close to lox.
Thanks for a great recipe! I have some fish to marinade with this good stuff.
You’re welcome. It’s nice to finally get it recorded. I hope you love it!
Absolutely!! I love this stuff. What a great recipe! Thank you!! 🙂
You’re welcome Oksana. It’s one of our stranger foods, but it is surprisingly good 🙂
Girl, you are brave. Thank you for sharing, looks amazing. Hopefully i’ll be breve enough some day 🙂
Ha! I know it! That’s how I felt the first time making it, but it is one of those dishes that will definitely impress your parents if they are familiar with it.
Ah, yes! With mashed potatoes for breakfast haha. My non-Russian husband just doesn’t get it! This looks delicious!!
For breakfast? Wow! Now you’re the brave one! lol. I’m sure there are more than a few people that look at it and say, “what is it?!”
Facinating, thanks for sharing!
How long do they keep for (refrigerated óf course)?
http://maryamsculinarywonders.blogspot.com/
My sources tell me you can keep it in the fridge up to a month. You’re blog is nice; I was just perusing it. 🙂
I like it with mashed potatoes. I feel hungry just by looking at those pictures.
I’m so glad it’s familiar to you too. Yesss!!! 🙂