Jane Grigson's Fish Book - Jane Grigson [92]
If the herrings are to be grilled whole, as in this recipe, slash them twice or three times, on either side of the backbone. This helps the heat to penetrate the thickest part and makes for even cooking. If the herrings are boned, they will need less cooking time: heat the grill rack first, brush the boned side with butter and seasoning and put them skin side to the heat. There will be no need to turn them over.
Serves 6
6 herring with soft roes
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt
125 g (4 oz) fine breadcrumbs from stale bread
125 g (4 oz) butter, melted
Gut the herrings via the gills, extracting the roes carefully and leaving the heads in place. Slash the fish on either side of the backbone. Rinse and dry both herring and roes.
Mix together mustard, oil, cayenne and salt. Brush the cavities with this mixture and put the roes back. Tip the crumbs on to a tray, brush the herring with the mustard mixture and roll them in the crumbs to coat them. They should now go into the refrigerator for the coating to firm up, and can be left there for some time.
Preheat the grill. Line the grill pan with foil and put the rack in place. Brush it with oil and lay the herrings on top carefully. Sprinkle with melted butter and slide under the grill. Baste the fish from time to time and turn them once. Total time, including time required for basting, should be about 12 minutes, but check to see the herring are not overdone. They should be a nice golden brown.
The French would serve fried potatoes with this dish, but new potatoes turned in a little parsley butter or plain bread are good alternatives.
FRIED HERRING WITH CREAM AND ROE SAUCE
If you can persuade the fishmonger to choose you soft-roed herrings, this is an agreeable way of serving them.
Serves 6
6 herrings with their roes
3 shallots, chopped
about 6 tablespoons butter
300 ml (10 fl oz) crème fraîche or half soured, half double cream
chopped parsley, chives and chervil
salt, pepper
lemon juice
seasoned flour
Clean the herrings, removing the roes carefully. Cook the shallots in a little of the butter in a small pan until they are soft but not coloured. Process or blend the roes with the cream(s). Off the heat, stir this mixture into the shallots, add chopped herbs, seasoning and a little lemon juice to taste. Just before serving, put back on to a low heat and stir all the time until slightly thickened.
For the herrings, turn them in seasoned flour and cook them in the minimum of butter. Do not have the heat too high as this is a mild dish: you do not want the butter or the skin of the fish to burn.
Put the herrings on to a warm serving dish, with small new potatoes, and pour the sauce over the fish.
VARIATION If your herrings do not all have soft roes, add what you can muster to a Sauce verte de Chausey*.
HERRING FRIED IN THE SCOTTISH FASHION
This is many people’s favourite way of cooking herrings. I used to dip them in coarse oatmeal but now have more success with fine or medium oatmeal which clings better. This is not a recipe for small herrings. You need the larger more robust kind. Go for Ayrshire bacon if you can, or the even fattier Yorkshire bacon which gives plenty of fat for the fish. Serve oatcakes with the herring if you want to be precise in your tradition. I prefer bread, especially if it incorporates oatmeal with the flour, or potatoes that are floury.
To test for this, try the potatoes in a bucket of water before you cook them, adding 1 part salt to 11 parts water. Waxy potatoes will float, floury ones will sink. I am indebted to Harold McGee for this invaluable bit of information from his On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.
Serves 6
6 fine herrings, boned
salt, pepper
fine or medium oatmeal
12 rashers of bacon, best quality
4–6 tablespoons bacon fat or lard
a little