Get Premium access to all the latest content online
Subscribe and view full print editions online... Subscribe
Herring fried in oatmeal with broad bean, bacon and parsley salad
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 100g young broad beans, shelled
- 80g lightly dried tomatoes in oil
- juice 1 lime
- 2 salad onions, sliced lengthways and then sliced diagonally
- 1tbsp capers
- 4 herrings
- 2tsp Dijon mustard
- 125g medium-ground oatmeal
- 1tbsp pork fat or a mixture of olive oil and butter
- 160g unsmoked bacon lardons
- 30g flat-leaf parsley leaves, small preferable
For the horseradish mayonnaise
- 3tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
- 1tbsp hot horseradish sauce, or to taste
For the soft herring roe butter
- 5 soft roes
- 80g salted butter, cubed
- 1⁄2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1⁄4tsp cayenne or 1⁄2tsp hot paprika
Method
Mix the mayonnaise and the horseradish sauce together and set aside in the fridge.
Lightly cook the broad beans and refresh under cold water. Drain the oil from the tomatoes and mix half of it with half the lime juice in a small bowl and pour it over the beans. Chop the tomatoes roughly and add to the beans with the onions, capers and the whole parsley leaves, then set aside.
Rub any scales from the herrings under a cold tap. Remove the head and slit the belly to remove the innards. Save the soft roes to make soft herring roe butter.
Lay the fish belly-side down and push down on the backbone with the heel of your hand, moving downwards towards the tail end, and lift out the backbone, snipping it off at the tail, leaving it in place. Rinse in cold water and gently pat dry. Inspect for any stray pin bones and remove with tweezers.
Mix the rest of the lime juice with the Dijon mustard. Scatter the oatmeal onto a plate and season with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Brush both sides of each herring fillet with a little of the mustard and lime juice mixture and coat completely in the seasoned oatmeal.
Heat the pork fat in a large
frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the coated herrings to the
pan, skin-side up (do this in
batches if necessary). Press down
gently on each of the herring fillets
using a fish slice so that they
stay as flat as possible. Fry for
2 minutes, or until the oats are
golden brown, then turn over and
continue to fry on the other side
for a further 2 minutes, or until the
herrings are cooked through and
the oats are golden brown. Set
the fish aside to rest and fry the
bacon lardons, then mix them into
the salad and serve with the fish
and the horseradish mayonnaise.
Soft herring roe butter
Heat half of the butter with the
oil and fry the roes for around
1 minute until just cooked. Put in
a mini processor with the rest of
the butter, cayenne and a few
sea salt flakes. Purée and pass
through a sieve into a bowl. Put
in a jar or small bowl and store in
the fridge for no longer than
2 days. Serve on hot toast.
Advertisement