The versions of pickled herring in sour cream sauce that you find in supermarkets and delis are sloppy excuses for a dish which, as you will see, can be subtle, elegant, and just plain addictive. In this recipe, given to me by my grandmother Mildred Simon, the saltiness of the herring is held in check by a delicious sweet-andsour combination of apple, onion, and lemon.

For me, Grandma Simon’s pickled herring was as essential to the annual Thanksgiving feast as the turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Well into her 90s, Grandma, who lived in Florida at the time, made the trip up to my parents’ home in New Jersey each year with a large jar of her prized herring. Since the herring is best when made a day or two ahead, she prepared it in her own kitchen, wrapped it tightly with a frozen Cornish game hen to keep it cold in transit (!), and packed it in her suitcase for the journey north. This is one of three recipes that I contributed to Molly O’Neill’s New York Cookbook.