Herrings and oatmeal used to be staple
foods in the North of England and Scotland, where the ‘silver darlings’ were
plentiful and oats were pretty much the only cereal crop that could be grown in
those inhospitable climes of The North.
They were particularly enjoyed at breakfast. We don’t seem to eat fish at
breakfasttime anymore, except for the rare kipper or a bit of smoked salmon
stirred through scrambled egg, if we’re feeling posh.
Also, you don’t see recipes for this dish
in older cookbooks, I assume it is because it’s so straightforward and was so
commonplace that writing it down was simply not required. I cannot even find
the phrase “herrings in oatmeal” before the 20th Century! More
modern books include them of course, even if it just to remind us of the foods our
forefathers ate.
Herring in general are quite ignored, I
think, though their relative the mackerel is increasing in popularity. It’s
strange that in the middle of the last century they were over-fished. It’s a
shame they’ve fallen out of favour, as they are very nutritious and very cheap.
It is herring spawning season right now –
they are bright-eyed, plump and have massive creamy roes in them, so if you
want to try them, now is the right time
I confess, I have never eaten herrings in
oatmeal, but I love herrings and I love oatmeal, so they couldn’t be bad.
This recipe is for six, but it is easy to
see how it can be scaled up or down:
First of all, you need six fine herring. Ask the fishmonger to open
the herring from the back as though they were kippers. Ask him to save the roes
(they’re not required for the recipe but they should always be saved).
At home, season the fish and them press
them into some medium or fine oatmeal that
has been scattered over a plate; about 3 ounces should do it. Fry the herrings
in butter until they are lovely and
golden-brown. Do them in batches if need be, keeping the cooked ones warm in
the oven on a bed of kitchen paper to keep them crisp. Serve with lemon wedges.
Jane tells us the best way to serve these
is with simple boiled potatoes and bacon. I had the spuds, but swapped the
bacon for a salad! Traditionally fatty bacon would be crisped and fried, and
the herring would then be cooked in the bacon fat; next time (and there will be a next time) I’ll do the bacon
thing.
#386 Herrings
in Oatmeal. Well I have said it many times, but I’m going to say it again,
the simple ones are the best. These were delicious, forgotten gems. The chewy
oatmeal really complimented the mild herring perfectly. This sort of food has
fallen so out of our collective consciousness that you just do not see it
anywhere. I might be my new favourite thing. When my little restaurant opens,
herrings in oatmeal will certainly be on the menu. 9/10.
2 comments:
Fantastic! I love herrings in oatmeal ... used to make them when I lived in Newcastle. NYC isn't much of a herrings in oatmeal city - too bad!
Can you even buy fresh herrings in NYC? When I was in Houston and St Louis, they never had them... thanks for the post!
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