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By Root 900 0

novelty, I came across a Danish book mainly concerned with pickling herrings. One recipe gave a splendid mixture for spiced salt, including sandalwood and Spanish hops. Chips of sandalwood I managed to find (and have some still in a jar in my spice cupboard – occasionally I unscrew the lid and the lovely smell brings back a pungent memory of the enormous enterprise we undertook). Spanish hops remained elusive, so we did without them. Macfisheries were surprised to receive an order for 100 fine fat herrings, but sent a patient young man out to our village with the load. He came in and out of the house with endless white trays of herrings. He talked to us gingerly and placatingly, as if he were not quite sure of our sanity.

Down those herrings went, into a stoneware crock, and they were excellent. At that time there were only two of us so they seemed to last for ever. But I would advise putting down 3 kg (6 lb) or so if you have a family, particularly if you live near a herring port and can buy them really fresh. The thing is to get them when they are at their fattest and most plentiful (and therefore cheapest).

You need a stoneware crock, a huge Pyrex casserole or an oblong plastic container, rinsed out with boiling soda water, then rinsed and drained upside down. Do not use earthenware: it is too porous. You also need a cool place for storage. This is not an enterprise for centrally-heated flat dwellers, I’m afraid, who would do better to try the quick alternative method below.

Buy 3 kg (6 lb) of the largest herrings. Clean them, leaving the heads in place. Keep the roes for another dish. Make up a solution of vinegar and water in the proportion of 1:2, enough to cover the fish, and leave overnight.

Meanwhile mix together the following cure:

250 g (8 oz) pure sea salt

250 g (8 oz) sugar

3 teaspoons lightly crushed peppercorns

6 bay leaves

4 almonds, chopped small

12 whole allspice, coarsely crushed

1 tablespoon Cretan dittany (optional)

Drain and dry the herrings. Layer them into the crock or container, sprinkling on the cure and finishing with it. Put a very clean board or plate on top with a light weight to keep the fish submerged in the brine that gradually forms as the salt dissolves. Cover the whole thing and leave in a cool place. They will last for weeks. You can start removing them after 4 or 5 days: use tongs rather than fingers so as to maintain the highest standards of hygiene.

Soaking time will depend on how long the herrings have been in salt. Fillet the fish, cover them with a mixture of half milk and half water, and taste a little bit after, say, 2 hours.

DILL-PICKLED HERRING Large, plump herrings can be cured most successfully with salt, sugar and dill weed in the gravadlax manner, see p. 310.

QUICK SALT HERRINGS As anyone who has ever cured pork will know, brine acts far more quickly than dry salt but the flavour is less interesting.

Bone 4–6 herrings. Put the fillets, neatly trimmed, into a dish. Dissolve 60 g (2 oz) pure sea salt in 600 ml (1 pt) boiled water, then cool and pour over the herring. Leave about 6 hours, then drain well. The flavour is not as rich and spicy as in the method above – you can add aromatics to the brine, but they do not have time to make much of an impression on the herring unless you have time to leave them longer.

SALTED HERRING SALADS

Having made or bought your salted herrings, or matjes, bucklings and harengs saurs, they will provide you with a number of hot dishes (see p. 198), and, even better, with a variety of salads and hors d’oeuvre which can be varied to suit your own tastes.

BOULONNAISE SALAD Soak and cut up the salt herring fillets; put them in the centre of a serving dish. Beat 125 ml (4 fl oz) olive oil into 1 large tablespoon of French mustard, as if you were making a mayonnaise. Pour this over the herrings and top with raw onion rings. Round them put a circle of diced, boiled beetroot (about 500 g/1 lb) dressed in a sauce of 125 ml (4 fl oz) double or soured cream, flavoured with chopped shallot, chives and lemon