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By Root 917 0

and dry the soaked herrings. Wrap each one round a piece of onion and a piece of pickled cucumber or gherkin. Arrange the rolled herring side by side in a refrigerator box or glass or pottery jar. Pour the vinegar over them. Tuck any pieces of onion and cucumber left over between the herrings. Leave for at least 4 days before eating. Drain, and add fresh onion slices and parsley. A little soured cream can be poured over them as well. Serve with rye bread, or pumpernickel, and butter.

(2) Serves 6

12 salted or matjes fillets

MARINADE

300 ml (10 fl oz) water

300 ml (10 fl oz) wine or cider vinegar

½ teaspoon each slightly crushed allspice and juniper berries

3 cloves

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, crushed

3 bay leaves

German mustard

1 large onion, sliced

2–3 dill-pickled cucumbers

Soak the fillets for at least 12 hours, changing the water twice.

Make the marinade by bringing the water and vinegar slowly to the boil with the spices and bay leaves. Cool. Drain and dry the fillets; spread each one with a little mustard, then roll up round pieces of onion and cucumber. Finish as above.

SOUSED HERRING AND BRATHERINGE, AND SOUSED MACKEREL

The German method of prepared soused herring, or Bratheringe, is a form of Escabeche (p. 223), because the fish are fried before being soaked in a vinegar marinade. In Britain cooks use the second method which involves baking the fish in the marinade.

(1) Serves 6

6 herrings, preferably soft-roed

seasoned flour

olive oil

MARINADE

250 ml (8 fl oz) vinegar

125 ml (4 fl oz) water

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon each peppercorns and mustard seed

3 bay leaves

1 medium onion, sliced

Remove the heads and tails from the herrings, and bone and clean them, setting the roes aside. Flour lightly, then brown them in olive oil. Cool, and arrange in a dish. Fry the roes in some fresh oil and put them on the herrings. Bring the marinade ingredients to the boil, cool, then pour over the fish and roes. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for at least twenty-four hours.

(2) Serves 6

6 herrings or mackerel

salt, pepper

175 ml (6 fl oz) each water and malt vinegar or 350 ml (12 fl oz) dry cider

1 tablespoon pickling spice, including a chilli

3 bay leaves

1 medium onion, sliced

Behead, bone and clean the fish. Season them and roll up, skin side either all inwards or all outwards. Arrange closely together in an ovenproof dish. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover with foil and bake in a cool oven (gas 1, 140°C/275°F) for about 1½ hours. Serve cold. Use the roes for another dish (see p. 188).

NOTE Soused herrings can be turned into large mixed salads, by following salt herring recipes on pp. 196–8.

HUSS see A FEW WORDS ABOUT… DOGFISH

† JOHN DORY

Zeus faber

This is one of the most desirable of the creatures of the sea, coming up to the sole and turbot for quality. As a Mediterranean fish it is outstanding, a star which Venetian cooks hide under the anonymous depressing title of Pesce bolito con maionnese – boiled fish with mayonnaise (see below). Lucky the visitor who manages to penetrate that particular language barrier before his fortnight is up. Couldn’t the city of painters, architects, poets and Eastern merchants do better than that? It is certainly a reminder that if the Venetians built St Mark’s, they also invented double-entry book-keeping.

Once you have eaten John Dory, you will not be surprised to learn that it has divine connections. It was sacred to Zeus – hence its scientific name of Zeus faber. When that deity lost his lustre, it came under the hand of St Peter the Apostle – literally, as you can see from the dark ‘fingermarks’ which have been there ever since the saint, at Christ’s bidding, caught the fish in the Sea of Galilee, and pulled out a coin from its mouth to pay off some importunate tax collectors. Spaniards, Italians, French, Swedes, Norwegians, Icelanders all remember this story when they call Zeus faber, in their