Salted herrings are great favourites in Holland, Germany and all eastern Europe. 

 

The best herrings come from Holland (Matjes) which are most delicate but

more expensive. Eastern Europe imported herrings from Scotland. The

herring, as caught, were placed in barrel in layers. Each layer

was covered in salt. These herrings were cheap and a great favourite

with the poor Jews. It was filleted, cleaned and soaked in water, milk

or tea for 24 hours to get rid of the salt. Then dried carefully,

cut into diagonal slices, some  2 cm or so wide, sprinkled with

vinegar and covered with onion rings. However, to stretch the herring

dish further, they were prepared as a salad.

 

Today all you need is to buy a packet of Nadler filleted Matjes herrings (the best)  from the Italian and Continental Delicatessen shop in Maidenhead.  You get the smaller packet of Matjes fillets, 300 grammes.  You get these packets in any continental (Polish) delicatessen shop.

 

Ingredients of salad.:   One packet of herrings (as above)  2 hard boiled

eggs, 1 small cooking apple, peeled, 1 small onion,  4 tablespoons of

very finely crushed digestive biscuits  (TUC),  lemon juice to

taste (not vinegar, although it was used in the old country because

lemons were expensive), 2  or 3  gherkins,  pepper (NO SALT), 1 table

spoon of olive oil,  an egg spoon of castor sugar, ( optional), 

handful of dill ( you get it from the Italian shop), finely chopped

(or parsley)

 

You will find that with experience you can vary the ingredients according

to taste, eg, a little more biscuits, more onions, gherkins, dill, etc.

 

You cut open the packets, drain (they are packed in vegetable oil) and

soak in water for 2 to 3 hours. Pat them dry and chop them  finely.

Chop the hard boiled eggs,  add the apple and onions, chopped. Place the chopped

herrings, eggs, apples, onions and gherkins into a bowl, mix them up,

add lemon juice, pepper, then add the finely crumbled biscuits. Then

the chopped dill or parsley. Mix them all up, add the castor sugar,

if you so prefer, and place into the fridge for some 2  to 3 hours.

If you find that the mixture is too wet, add some more crumbled

biscuits, if too dry add oil and lemon juice. Instead of all the

chopping by hand, you can, of course, use a food processor, but it

becomes, to my mind, like a pate, not quite traditional!

 

Serve on a large platter, garnished with sliced tomatoes, gherkins, olives,

sprigs of dill and, if you so wish, another hard boiled egg, finely

chopped, sprinkled over the dish.

 

You can, of course, decide to have the fillets as they are (see above). Put

them on an oval plate and cover them with plenty of onion rings,

chopped dill, plenty of lemon juice or vinegar and a couple of

tablespoons of olive oil.

 

Bon Appetit,

 

Alex Lawrence