546. Herrings

Herrings are dressed in a variety of fashions; they are fried, boiled, broiled, dried, potted, baked, smoked, pickled.

There are three sorts of herrings, fresh, salted, and red herrings, they are cleaned like any other sort of fish, when fresh they are boiled and served with melted butter, white sauce, &c; the salted herring should be soaked: in cold water before it is cooked, this is broiled, sometimes it is cut in pieces and eaten raw; the red herring is split down the back, the head and tail taken off, and the fish broiled like the others, they may be also dressed in the following manner: when they have laid in cold water some time, soak them in milk for two hours, then split them down the back, have ready some melted butter in which has been mixed basil and bay leaf minced small, the yolks of two eggs, pepper, and nutmeg, rub the herrings well with this bread, then broil them over a gentle fire, serve with lemon juice; the best red herrings are full of roe, are firm and large, and have a yellow cast; of the fresh herrings the scales are bright, if good the eye is full and the gill red, the fish should be stiff.

547. Fresh Herrings Baked

Wash the herrings in clear spring water, when they are thoroughly clean drain them, and then, without wiping them, lay them in a dish or baking pan; pepper and salt them, chop finely two or three onions, some parsley; thyme, and strew over them; cover them in equal proportions of vinegar and small-beer; tie them over, and let them bake one hour in a slow oven.

They should be kept in the pickle, and make a pleasant dish when cold.

Clean them, wash them over with vinegar, fasten the heads to the tails, and put them in boiling water; they will take from ten to twelve minutes. Garnish with parsley, and serve melted butter, in which a table-spoonful of ketchup, a tea-spoonful of Chili vinegar, and one of made mustard has been mixed while making.

549. Fresh Herrings - Broiled

To broil them steep them first in vinegar and water, into which a handful of salt has been thrown; let them remain ten minutes, take them out and broil them over a clear fire, (the bars of the gridiron should be rubbed with suet, to prevent the skin of the fish adhering to it.) Serve, garnished with parsley. They may be eaten with melted butter, with a little mustard and vinegar in it, or lemon juice instead of the latter, being preferable.

550. Fresh Herrings Fried

Slice small onions, and lay in the pan with the fish, or fry separately, as judgment may dictate; serve the fish with the onions laid round them. The herrings are generally fried without the onions, but those who are partial to this strongly flavoured vegetable, will prefer the addition.

551. How To Pot Herrings

Take from one to two dozen herrings according to the number you purpose potting, choose them as large, fine, and fresh as you can. Take two ounces of salt, one of saltpetre, two of allspice, reduce them to an impalpable powder, and rub them well into the herrings; let them remain with the spice upon them eight hours to drain, wipe off the spice clean and lay them in a pan on which butter has been rubbed, season with nutmeg, mace, white pepper, salt, and one clove in powder, one ounce each save the last; lay in two or three bay leaves, cover with butter and bake gently three hours.

When cool, drain off the liquor, pack the fish in the pots intended for their use, cover to the depth of half an inch with clarified butter, sufficiently melted just to run, but do not permit it to be hot; they will be ready for eating in two days.