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6 lemon wedges

Season the herrings well and press them firmly down into a tray of oatmeal so that they are well coated on both sides.

Fry the bacon, crisp if you can and brown, in the bacon fat or lard. Keep them warm, then fry the herrings in the fat until nicely browned, turning them carefully so as to lose as little oatmeal as possible. Serve them with the bacon, scattered very lightly with a little parsley, and with the lemon wedges.

WELSH SUPPER HERRINGS (Swper Scadan)

This is a Welsh version of a gratin of a kind popular over much of northern Europe. The old way was to put the various ingredients together raw, then to cook them in a moderate oven for about an hour. This does have the effect of overcooking the fish but gives the flavours plenty of chance to blend together, so that it ends up as a comforting soft sort of mixture. Today I blanch the potato slices – the slowest cooking ingredient – so that the fish retains more of its personality after a much briefer stay in the oven.

Serves 6

1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, peeled, sliced

6 filleted herrings

mustard, salt, pepper

2 cooking apples or 2 large sharp eating apples, peeled, cored, sliced

1 large onion, sliced paper thin

¼ teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C (425°F). Choose a gratin dish large enough to hold the herrings in a single layer, and rub it out with a butter paper.

Blanch the potato slices in salted boiling water until they are opaque and almost cooked. Drain and cool slightly, while preparing the rest of the dish.

Open the herrings, spread them with mustard and seasoning. Fold them back into shape, or roll them over loosely.

Put half the potatoes in the base of the dish, with half the apples and half the onion. Put the herrings on top with seasoning and sage, then apple and onion, and a top layer of the rest of the potatoes. Pour the butter, or brush it, evenly over the potato. Bake for 20 minutes, then test and see if the herrings need more time. The top should brown nicely but it can always be finished off under the grill.

SOFT HERRING ROES

The creamy texture of soft roes lends itself to some delicious recipes. Provided, that is, you can find them in good shape. Often they have been flung together and frozen into an enormous damaged heap, so that they are good for nothing but the sieve. Keep these poor creatures for the roe paste or roe stuffing, below, or to make a creamy sauce for shrimp and prawn boats. Unblemished, dignified pairs of roes may be fried in butter and served on fried bread, with lemon quarters, or cooked as follows. The recipes following may also be used for mackerel and other soft roes.

DEVILLED SOFT ROES

Turn the roes in seasoned flour liberally spiked with cayenne pepper. Fry in clarified butter. Serve on buttered toast, sprinkled with chopped parsley. Provide lemon wedges. Allow 3 pairs of roes per person.

FRITURE DE LAITANCE AVEC SAUCE MOUTARDE

Serves 6

18 pairs of large herring roes (more will be needed if they are small)

salt, pepper

oil for frying

BATTER

125 g (4 oz) plain flour

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons oil

175 ml (6 fl oz) tepid water or beer

2 small egg whites

mustard sauce*

Divide and season the herring roes. Set them aside. Make the batter by mixing together flour, salt and oil with the tepid water or beer – aim for a pouring custard consistency. Leave to stand for a while, if this is convenient. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter just before it is required. Make the mustard sauce and keep it warm.

Coat the roes in batter and fry golden brown on both sides in oil (or use a deep-frying pan). As each batch is cooked – it is important not to overcrowd the pan – keep it warm on crumpled kitchen paper, set on a baking tray in the oven. When all are cooked, serve with the mustard sauce.

This is one of the best dishes in the book. I’ve adapted it slightly from a recipe in Ali Bab’s Gastronomie Pratique.

OMELETTE WITH