As published in The Guardian.
It's enjoyable when dishes you don't expect to come across appear in unusual places. We don't mind finding herrings on the menu in Scandinavia but it comes as a surprise to see them settled comfortably in the Alps. There, they are always presented very simply, with a few steadfast companions such as good waxy boiled potatoes and soft green leaves. However, they preserve them with gentler flavours than the kippers and roll-mops I'm used to.
In one place they are lightly smoked and preserved in oil with coriander seeds, bay leaves and thinly sliced onions and carrots. They look good served out of a ceramic pot on the table with the salad and potatoes offered in separate bowls. Up another mountain, they make them into a pickled herring salad which was so enjoyed by everyone, I recreated it when I came home.
It's really such a simple salad that this is where the quality of the ingredients is so important – and getting the slicing thin enough so that there's a bit of refinement to it.
Serves 4 |
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A handful of small waxy potatoes
A quarter of a red onion, sliced finely
A good sweet organic carrot
A bag of mache lettuce
Fillets of pickled herring (bought or prepared as below)
To pickle 1kg of herrings you will need:
500g sea salt
2 onions, finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
200g caster sugar
150ml white wine vinegar
A good sprinkle of peppercorns, coriander seeds, cloves and allspice
4 bay leaves
For the salad vinaigrette:
Half a crushed garlic clove
1tsp Dijon mustard
1tsp red wine vinegar
4tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
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Fillet the fish and salt them overnight, this draws out moisture and make them firm.
Rinse them thoroughly to get off as much salt as you can then pat them dry.
Put all the other pickling ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil then simmer for a couple of minutes.
Put the fillets into a jar then when the vinegar mixture is cool, pour over the fish and seal with a lid. Leave to marinate in a fridge for at least a few days before giving them a try.
The ones we had were then drained from the marinade and kept in good olive oil in the ceramic jar. (This gave them a gentler flavour)
Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are soft. Meanwhile, peel the carrot and slice into thin little rounds.
Make the vinaigrette by mixing the garlic, mustard and vinegar and whisking in the oil. Season well.
When the potatoes are cooked, slice into pieces thick enough that they hold together but are not too thick.
Dress the potatoes, carrot, lettuce and onion with the vinaigrette, and finally the herring slices and pile onto a plate. |
