Herring

Herring

In Mama's days the price of herring was not what it is today. Herring was one of the cheapest fish in the market and Mama had so transformed the poor lowly herring that, but for the smell, it would have entirely lost its identity. She baked it, boiled it, broiled it, pickled it, chopped it and made herring cutleten. She even made gefilte fish out of it, and that was a delicacy to be remembered. Since this book contains all of Mama's meichulim, here are all her herring recipes.

Chopped Herring

Ingredients

2 schmaltz herrings

1 pickled herring (ask the man in the appetizing store to give you plenty of the pickled onions)

3 large tart apples

3 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

Soak the schmaltz herring for at least 18 hours. Remove bones from all the herring, skin, and put through grinder with all other ingredients including the onions.

Chopped Herring Recipe # 2

Ingredients

1 large jar of herring in wine sauce

1 schmaltz herring (soaked for 18 hours)

1 large onion

4 hard-boiled eggs

3 tart apples

Instructions

Bone and skin the herring, put through grinder with all other ingredients and add some of the wine sauce.

Pickled Herring

Ingredients

3 herrings (not soft; there are special large herrings that are sold for pickling purposes)

2 cs. water

1/3c. sugar

1 c. vinegar

2 or 3 onions

6 bay leaves

12 peppercorns

Instructions

Wash herring. Cut off heads. Remove black tissue from stomach cavity with a knife. Soak herring in water to cover for at least 24 hours. Boil sugar, vinegar and water and let cool. Cut herring into portions and put into boiled mixture; cool, add sliced onions, bay leaves and peppercorns. Keep at cool room temperature overnight, then refrigerate.

Herring Kotleten (patties)

Ingredients

2 schmaltz herrings

2 medium sized onions

1/4 t. pepper

2 eggs

1 c. matzo meal

Instructions

Clean herring, scrape off membrane from cavity with a knife. Soak herring in water to cover for 24 hours. (When soaking keep in covered jar in refrigerator.) Then bone, grind, and add the pepper. Grate in the onion, fold in the raw eggs, roll in matzo meal and fry in either oil or butter until brown on all sides.

Baked Herring

Ingredients

1 or 2 schmaltz herrings

1 t. onion powder

1/4 t pepper

1/2 c. matzo meal

1/2 c. sweet cream

Instructions

Clean herring and soak in water to cover over night. Cut herring into desired portions. Mix seasoning with the matzo meal. Dip portions of herring into the seasoned matzo meal. Put into a shallow baking dish. (Put some butter or oil into dish and heat.) Bake in a moderately hot, 400°, oven about three quarters of an hour. Turn off flame, pour the sweet cream over the herring and let stand in hot oven for about 10 minutes.

BROILED HERRING

Use the above recipe, place under broiler, brown on both sides. When herring is thoroughly browned, pour the sweet cream over it, turn off flame, put herring into moderately hot, 400°, oven for about 10 minutes.

Note

Throughout the website, wherever a recipe calls for salt, use coarse salt.

Also Note:

c. stands for cup

T. stands for tablespoon

t. stands for teaspoon

and don't forget salt stands for coarse salt.