Jane Grigson's Fish Book - Jane Grigson [98]
DANISH PICKLED HERRING In Denmark, salted herrings are given a richer flavour by being soaked in a sweet-sour marinade. First of all, though, the herrings must be soaked in milk and water until they are mild in flavour.
Serves 6
6 salt herring
250 g (8 oz) granulated sugar
150 ml (5 fl oz) wine or cider vinegar
6–8 peppercorns
2 teaspoons pickling spice, including a chilli
2 or 3 large onions and a few bay leaves
Put the salt herring fillets to soak in milk and water. Simmer together the first four marinade ingredients for 3 minutes. Leave to cool. When the saltiness of the herrings is reduced to a palatable level, drain and arrange them in a plastic box or glass jar, with slices of onion and bay leaves in between. Pour over the marinade and leave for at least 5 days in the refrigerator.
The fillets can then be cut into pieces, to be eaten with bread and butter, as they are. Serve the pieces in a dish, garnished with a few slices of the onion, a bay leaf or two and the chilli. They are an essential part of the cold table in Denmark, and on a smaller scale can be included in a mixed hors d’oeuvre.
LIVONIAN SALAD Dice 375 g (12 oz) potatoes, boiled in their skins and then peeled, 2–3 large Cox’s orange pippins, half a head of Florentine fennel or 2–3 stalks of celery. Put into a bowl with vinaigrette dressing, chopped parsley, chervil and chives. Soak and drain 4 salt herring fillets, cut them into dice and fold them in last of all. Serve well chilled.
Beetroot can be added, so can a chopped dill-pickled gherkin or cucumber. Tomatoes and lemon quarters, too. Double or soured cream can take the place of vinaigrette sauce, appropriately seasoned.
MUSTARD SALAD Make a strong mustard-flavoured mayonnaise*. Fold in 125 ml (4 fl oz) whipped cream. Pour over pieces of soaked, salted herring fillets. Garnish with dill weed. Serve very cold.
POLISH CHRISTMAS EVE HERRINGS If the herrings are very salty, soak them. If you are using the packets of mild harengs saurs, or kipper fillets, there is no need to do this; the harengs saurs will have been treated and the kippers are ready to use straightaway. Put them on individual plates, and cover them with crème fraîche, or half soured and half double cream well seasoned with chopped onion and lemon juice. Serve with glasses of chilled vodka.
In summer, substitute chives for onion, or dill or horseradish. This is the best and simplest way I know of eating harengs saurs.
SALTED HERRINGS IN WINE AND CREAM Cook sliced onion and bay leaf in 90 ml (3 fl oz) dry white wine for 15 minutes. When cold, stir in 125 ml (4 fl oz) double cream. Season with cayenne, dill weed and salt. Mix in pieces of soaked, salt herring. Leave in refrigerator for 2 days before serving.
SALTED HERRINGS IN OLIVE OIL My favourite recipe for harengs saurs and kippers (neither should need soaking if you buy the harengs saurs in ready-prepared packets). Good, too, with soaked salt herring. Put fillets into a jar with enough fruity olive oil to cover. Add thyme, chillis, peppercorns, etc., according to taste, and close the lid. Leave in the refrigerator until required. Serve with potato salad, dressed with olive oil vinaigrette and chives.
TOMATO SALAD To 300 ml (io fl oz) of the marinara sauce*, add brown sugar, French mustard and vinegar, and some chopped onion. The mixture should be piquant. Spice with Tabasco, or with cinnamon. Pour over the soaked salt herring, garnish with onion rings, and chill well.
HOT DISHES MADE FROM SALTED AND SMOKED HERRING
Soak harengs saurs, if they haven’t come in ready-prepared packets, and bloaters: buckling and kipper may be used straightaway. The recipes also work with soaked salt herring, but taste less interesting.
HARENGS SAURS À LA BRUXELLOISE A dish of Carême’s. Take half a dozen fish, preferably with soft roes. Remove the fillets, discarding skin and bones. Mash up a generous 125 g (4 oz) unsalted butter with plenty of chopped parsley,