The following recipe shows the simple and basic preparation of śledzie, made with just salted herring, onion slices, allspice, bay leaf, peppercorns, and sunflower oil. The recipe is courtesy of the founder and the director of the Krakow Culinary Institute, Marek Widomski.

In this variant, the herring is marinated in a flavorful combination of spices, honey, and apple cider vinegar. The recipe suggests pairing the fish with onion sprinkled with refreshing lemon juice, doused together in oil, and seasoned with pepper.

This recipe is a great example of how śledzie works well with sweet and sour flavors. The herring is marinated in vinegar, then mixed with grated apples, diced onion, sour cream, and spices. It's recommended to pair śledzie with fried, cinnamon-spiced apple slices for serving.

This recipe shows the śledzie preparation method from Northern Poland. In this case, the marinade is cooked, not raw, and is made with onions, tomato concentrate, ground paprika, sugar, bay leaves, and vinegar.