Do I need to keep the skins on the herring?

Removing them is hell, but I don't see why you'd want to remove them? The curing and pickling process makes them super tender, there are no hard scales to bite through, and they help make the rollmops look pretty too!

Can I use this recipe to make pickled / marinated herring instead of rollmops?

Yes - just skip the rolling stage, cut the herring into more manageable pieces on the diagonal, and layer them with the onions in the jar.

When I buy rollmops they don't look as fat as yours do in the picture?

The fillets I ordered for these were some of the thickest I've ever come across and to be honest, they were a bit of a nightmare to roll up. If I'd not wanted to show you how to make rollmops I would have diverted into pickled herring pieces as I've described above. But, I got them rolled so rest assured it is possible however thick your fillets are!

What jar is best for making rollmops?

For the amount listed in the recipe below I find a 1L Kilner Jar like this one ad is perfect for making sure the herring always stays below the level of the liquid - and for leaning and reusing afterwards!

Sweet and Sour Herring Rollmops

Description

These easy-to-make pickled herring rollmops are brined in a salt solution before being preserved with onions, apple cider vinegar and whole spices to make a sweet and sour Scandi-Jewish treat perfect for seafood platters, light lunches and as a luxe snack to serve with drinks!

Ingredients

Scale

4 herring, filleted with the bones removed (to yield 8 fillets)
40g sea salt
100g white sugar
400ml apple cider vinegar
100ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp red peppercorns
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 dried bay leaf
1 small brown onion, finely sliced

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Instructions

Trim any fins on the herring fillets with a sharp pair of scissors, and with a pair of tweezers remove any large bones the fishmonger might have missed. Transfer them to a dish where they can sit happily in 1-2 layers.
Stir the 40g sea salt into 400ml of cold water until the salt has completely dissolved. I find flaky sea salt dissolves best here. Pour over the fillets and leave to brine for 2-3 hours.
Meanwhile, combine the sugar, vinegars, whole spices and bay leaf in a small saucepan. Set over a medium-high heat, and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes before removing from the heat to allow the spices to infuse while to cools.
Rinse the herring under the cold tap, and pat them dry on a piece of kitchen paper. With the skin side down, roll them into rolls packing as much of the sliced onion as you can into the spirals. Secure with a toothpick, and transfer them to a 1L clip top jar, layering with some of the onion also as you go.
Pour over the pickling mixture. You might not need it all, but try to pack as many of the whole spices as you can into the jar.
Refrigerate for at least 3 days before eating!

Notes

You should aim to eat these rollmops within 10 days, always keeping the jar sealed and the herring fully submerged. After this they start to come a little soft. Realistically, I usually keep them for about two weeks, but if they taste a little unusual at first bite, stop eating! The bottom line is this is a historic preserving technique which has come into contact with modern food safety standards; use your common sense!