Don't be fooled by long fillets of fish labelled Greenland halibut. They do come from a related flounder; the flesh is undistinguished, quite pleasant, but without the firm true sweetness of the real thing.

HALIBUT AND CHEESE GRATIN.

This is a good way of cooking halibut with its tendency to dryness. Really you are putting a Welsh rabbit on top of the steaks to keep all the moisture inside. For me, it is very much a dish for midday, or family supper, when you might not otherwise be serving cheese. Provide new potatoes, or firm fleshed winter potatoes rather than the floury kind (p. 187), and a salad of mixed greenery that includes crisp and bitter leaves.

This is a good recipe, too, for cod and other firm white fish steaks.

Serves 66 halibut steakssalt, pepper, cayenne3 tablespoons melted b.u.t.ter175 g (6 oz) grated Gruyere, Swiss or or Gouda cheese Gouda cheese60 g (2 oz) grated Parmesan1 tablespoon Dijon mustard3 tablespoons single cream Switch on the oven to gas 56, 190200C (375400F).

Season the halibut with salt, pepper and a good pinch of cayenne. Choose a gratin dish that will accommodate the steaks in a single layer, fitting them closely. Pour in the melted b.u.t.ter, swill it around the base and up the sides and arrange the halibut on it.

Mix the remaining items to a paste. You may need a shade more cream or mustard so that you can spread this paste more easily over the top surface of the fish, but it should not be liquid.

Bake for 1520 minutes. If the cheese becomes brown quickly, protect it from burning by putting b.u.t.ter papers on top. When the halibut is cooked, serve the dish from the oven, sizzling hot.

HALIBUT AND COCONUT CURRY.

The sweetness of spiced coconut milk goes particularly well with halibut, and the dish can be served cold. However, if you intend to do this, keep the sauce a little on the liquid side as it will thicken as it cools. To make coconut milk, turn to p. 478 p. 478; otherwise, use creamed coconut which works well in highly spiced dishes. You can also buy tinned coconut milk.

Serves 41 chicken halibut or or 4 halibut steaks, about 1 kg (2 lb) in all 4 halibut steaks, about 1 kg (2 lb) in allconcentrated b.u.t.ter, ghee or or clarified b.u.t.ter clarified b.u.t.ter375 ml (12 fl oz) coconut milk3 tablespoons cider vinegar1 teaspoon rice flour or or ground rice ground rice1 teaspoon ground coriander seed1 teaspoon turmericsalt, cayenne pepper1 medium onion, finely chopped1 clove garlic, crushed, skinned, finely choppedabout 150 ml (5 fl oz) plain yoghurtchopped fresh green fennel, dill or or coriander leaves coriander leaves Choose a heavy non-stick pan into which the halibut fits neatly. In it, cook the fish in the minimum of b.u.t.ter or ghee so that it is lightly coloured on both sides, but not cooked. Remove the fish to a plate. If the juices in the pan are still fresh and b.u.t.tery, leave them. If not, wash the pan out.

Meanwhile, add the vinegar, rice flour, spices, salt and a little cayenne pepper to the coconut milk in a separate bowl.

Stew the onion slowly in the pan, adding extra b.u.t.ter or ghee if necessary. As it softens and turns yellow, stir in the garlic. Whisk up the coconut milk mixture with a fork, and pour it into the pan. When it begins to bubble, put the fish back and complete the cooking at a mild simmer. Keep spooning the sauce over the chicken halibut, or turn the halibut steaks for even cooking. If the sauce gets too thick and clotted, smooth it out with a little hot water. Transfer the cooked fish to a warm serving platter or individual plates. Check the sauce for seasoning and pour it over the halibut.

Quickly stir the yoghurt into the pan. It will acquire a pale yellow colour from the remains of the sauce. Spoon it down the centre of the fish, and scatter it with the chopped herbs and dust lightly with cayenne.

Serve with rice or potatoes, and strips of grilled, skinned sweet peppers yellow and red ones make a happy contrast both of flavour and colour. Or serve a cuc.u.mber raita (p. 183), or plain batons of cuc.u.mber, a wonderfully refreshing garnish.

HALIBUT STEAMED IN ITS OWN JUICE.

People who earn a living through food in the States, and take it seriously, are much indebted to Sheryl Julian, who with Lora Brody founded the Boston Women's Culinary Guild in 1978. Since then, food professionals in other cities have organized similar groups, not necessarily confined to women, for mutual a.s.sistance. As a visiting foreigner, I was bewildered by the usual problem of collecting information in a short time, and the Boston Guild came to my rescue with a speedy efficacy that amazed me. And to cap it all, Sheryl Julian gave me this excellent idea for cooking halibut: it can be used for other firm fish, too.

Serves 4 1 kg (12 lb) skinned halibut fillet in 1 piece4 tablespoons softened unsalted b.u.t.tersalt, pepper1 small handful of dill sprigs, finely chopped1 small handful of parsley sprigs, finely chopped (flat-leaf parsley for preference) shallot, very finely chopped2 medium tomatoes, skinned, seeded, coa.r.s.ely chopped4 slices of lemon, 4 sprigs of dill for garnish Holding the small end of the fillet towards you, skinned side down, cut eight thick 'scallops' at an angle of 45, using a long thin sharp knife.

Grease a 3538-cm (1415-inch) saute pan with half the b.u.t.ter. Set the scallops in the pan and sprinkle the remaining ingredients over them evenly in the order given, apart from the garnish.

Cut a round of baking parchment or greaseproof paper to fit closely inside the pan and spread it with the remaining b.u.t.ter. Put it into the pan, b.u.t.tered side down, on to the fish. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Set the pan over a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, until the fish turns opaque in colour and firm to the touch. It should flake easily.

Remove the paper. Carefully transfer two pieces of fish to each of four hot plates, arranging them in a V. Twist four slices of lemon and set one in the middle of each V with a sprig of dill. Serve with boiled new potatoes, turned in a little b.u.t.ter, parsley and dill.

JONGHE MARC'S HALIBUT (Fletan de Jonghe Marc) A reader living in America sent me this recipe many years ago. I think it came from the March 1972 issue of Gourmet Gourmet magazine and I have made it many times, sometimes with cod or hake or brill. Do not be put off by the quant.i.ty of garlic, or by the use of dry vermouth rather than dry white wine. These ingredients and the style of cooking give a most appetizing liveliness that helps any fish with a tendency to be a little solid or boring. Halibut steaks or other similar steaks can be used rather than fillets. The point is to aim for a thickness of 2 cm (1 inch). With the looser flaked fish, cod for instance, it is sensible to leave the steaks whole, or just to remove the two thick pieces from either side of the main bone; if you attempt to cut cubes, the fish will fall apart when cooked and look messy. magazine and I have made it many times, sometimes with cod or hake or brill. Do not be put off by the quant.i.ty of garlic, or by the use of dry vermouth rather than dry white wine. These ingredients and the style of cooking give a most appetizing liveliness that helps any fish with a tendency to be a little solid or boring. Halibut steaks or other similar steaks can be used rather than fillets. The point is to aim for a thickness of 2 cm (1 inch). With the looser flaked fish, cod for instance, it is sensible to leave the steaks whole, or just to remove the two thick pieces from either side of the main bone; if you attempt to cut cubes, the fish will fall apart when cooked and look messy.

Serves 6generous 1 kg (2 lb) halibut filletsalt, pepper250 g (8 oz) fresh white or light wholemeal breadcrumbs250 ml (8 fl oz) melted b.u.t.ter8 tablespoons dry white vermouth4 cloves garlic, crushed, skinned, finely chopped Cut the fish into 2-cm (i-inch) cubes and season them. Choose a baking dish into which they will be able to fit closely together in a single layer. Grease it with a b.u.t.ter paper.

Switch on the oven to gas 5, 190C (375F).

Put the crumbs into a bowl and pour on half the b.u.t.ter, and the vermouth into which you have stirred the garlic. Mix to a moist paste. Add a little more vermouth if the paste is too dry to spread.

Put half of this paste over the base of the baking dish and arrange the halibut on top. Spread the rest of the paste over it. Pour on the rest of the b.u.t.ter.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cooked. Check after 15 minutes. Complete the browning under a preheated grill.

This is a good dish for lunchtime, early in the summer when broad beans come in or some of the first slightly bitter salads, endive and rocket (or arugula) for instance.

WRAPPED HALIBUT WITH CORIANDER.

A light bitterness seems to me to go well with fish, particularly when there is a b.u.t.ter sauce to go with it. With some of us, coriander can become a pa.s.sion, others hate it. There is no point in trying to overcome this hatred: I understand that to some people it tastes like soap which must indeed be vile. This is a chemical effect, and cannot be changed. For such people, I would suggest using dill or fennel instead of coriander.

Serves 44 halibut steaks, each about 150 g (5 oz)salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice4 tablespoons chopped shallot or or onion onion clove garlic, finely chopped23 tablespoons b.u.t.ter400 g (14 oz) piece of flaky or or puff pastry puff pastry12 sprigs coriander, each about 10 cm (4 inches)beaten egg or or light cream to glaze light cream to glazeGARNISH2 bitter gourds, each about 8 cm (3 inches) long12-cm (5-inch) piece cuc.u.mber, peeled, sliced across3 small-to-medium tomatoes, skinned23 tablespoons b.u.t.ter4 sprigs coriander Season the fish with salt, pepper, cayenne and a few drops of lemon juice. Set aside.

Stew the shallot or onion and garlic in half the b.u.t.ter in a non-stick pan until it becomes yellow and tender. Scoop it into a bowl with a slotted spoon, and leave to cool. Add the rest of the b.u.t.ter to the juices in the pan and, over a higher temperature, colour the halibut lightly on both sides. Cool to barely lukewarm.

Switch on the oven to gas 8, 230 C (450 F).

Divide the pastry into four and roll out each piece until it is large enough to enclose a halibut steak. In the middle of each, spread an island of cooked shallot or onion, using half the quant.i.ty. Lay two sprigs of coriander across each island, and put the halibut on top. Spread the remaining shallot or onion over the fish and top with the remaining four coriander sprigs.

Using some of the egg or cream as glue, wrap the pastry round the halibut, fastening it firmly and cutting away lumpy surplus dough. Turn the four packages over on to a baking sheet, smooth side up. Brush over with egg or cream. Make a discreet decoration, if you like, with the dough tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, and brush them with egg or cream too. Make small central slits and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is nicely browned and the fish inside tender.

Serve on warm, not very hot plates with the garnish.

TO PREPARE THE GARNISH Sc.r.a.pe the skin from the bitter gourds with a knife, to remove the majority of the b.u.mpiness. Then slice them in quarters downwards and remove the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Boil them in salted water for 3 minutes, then drain. This reduces the bitterness to an agreeable level: taste a little bit if you are not used to bitter gourds, but also bear in mind that it is being eaten more as a flavouring than as a vegetable in this particular dish. Complete the cooking in a little b.u.t.ter with a sc.r.a.p of garlic. Sc.r.a.pe the skin from the bitter gourds with a knife, to remove the majority of the b.u.mpiness. Then slice them in quarters downwards and remove the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Boil them in salted water for 3 minutes, then drain. This reduces the bitterness to an agreeable level: taste a little bit if you are not used to bitter gourds, but also bear in mind that it is being eaten more as a flavouring than as a vegetable in this particular dish. Complete the cooking in a little b.u.t.ter with a sc.r.a.p of garlic.

Push out the central seeds of the cuc.u.mber. Cook briefly in a little salted water, and drain.

Skin the tomatoes, quarter them into wedges and scoop out the centre part (use up in another dish). Cook the pieces in b.u.t.ter until they are tender and season them.

Trim the coriander sprigs.

HERRING Clupea harengus [image]

I remember as a child listening to my father's tales of going out with herring boats from South Shields or Tynemouth. He talked about the cold and the fierce seas, the sudden energy required and the cups of strong sweet tea that kept them going. When the nets were hauled in great walls, I suppose, of drift nets the silver catch tumbled into the boat for what seemed like hours, the mesh stuck solid with fish. He understood well, as did many in the north-east, Scott's remark in The Antiquary The Antiquary, 'It's nae fish ye're buying, it's men's lives.' Something even a child could understand on certain Sundays of bad weather, when voices surged and swirled over one's head, losing their usual genteel decorum as they sang of those in peril on the sea.

Such things had gone on for ever, would go on for ever. The vast shoals would appear as usual at the expected times and places, even if their arrival was no longer predicted by the arrival of the Scottish fisher girls in their striped skirts as it once was. These women knew the seasons and would appear up and down the coast, ready to gut and barrel the herrings, a vast trade for export. A whole complete world enclosed the herring trade, with its own customs and movement and vocabulary. Do you know the meaning of klondyking, farlanes, gipping, crabs, lasts, redding? Did you know that the herring's scales are described as deciduous because they fall as easily as leaves from autumn trees? Did you know that the word herring means 'army' because of the vast shoals they travel in? One shoal, measured in 1877, was 18 fathoms deep (118 feet): it covered an area which would have reached from Marble Arch to the London docks beyond the Tower, and from the House of Commons to Euston Station. At one time people thought the herrings moved about, like the fisher girls, but in fact it is different races of herring that appear together at certain times in certain parts of the sea on both sides of the Atlantic.

Even a tiny shoal of herring in an aquarium swimming round and round is an impressive and unnerving sight, millions of 'soldiers' moving blindly on. Perhaps this explains why the herring was rather beyond the capacity, outside the interest of early fishermen. This fish which caused battles, wars and created vast wealth from the late Middle Ages has left no traces in the prehistoric settlements of northern Europe. Salmon bones appear in excavation, but never a herring bone. Amsterdam is said to have been built on herring bones, but Amsterdam is a late town with no prehistory. Archaeologists have speculated on the matter. Boats were developed enough, since curraghs, which are survivals of early boats, have been used for fishing herring until recent times.

The conclusion seems to be that the construction of a drift net, the long wall of net which the herring swim in to and are caught by, takes too much time for a small community to bother with. Vast catches were just not needed, or not until the fast days of Christian Europe ruled that people, however far inland they might be, had to eat fish at least once a week, sometimes twice or more. And so the herring, the curable herring, became the great fish of northern life, the trade having its origin in the Dark Ages (the first recorded use of our word 'herring' occurs in the eighth century AD AD). Other towns were built on herrings, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft for instance. Herrings caused skirmishes as East Anglian and Dutch fishermen raced for the first huge catch in the spring. The way of life of millions of people has been shaped by the herring. Not bad for a small fish weighing on average 150 g (5 oz).

It never occurred to most of us that herring might vanish from our shops. They were eternal, a natural plunder that would never fail. But they did fail. Nets and trawling techniques became so efficiently vacuum-cleaner-like that even the vaster shoals were sucked up. So depleted were they that for several years herring fishing was forbidden. Only in 1984 was it allowed again.

Herrings are on the slab once more, it is true, but what has happened to them? The ones I see are poor limp things compared to the crisp bright 'silver darlings' of the old days. Is this because they are lying about too long in ice? Is it because my local fishmongers do not buy the top of the catch? Is it because we fished the heart out of the herring tribe and the few years' peace we allowed them has not been enough to restore their vigour? Now they seem to have a weary grey pappiness that needs the tonic of sharp and savoury ingredients. Once all they needed was plain grilling and an accompanying wedge of lemon with some bread and b.u.t.ter and mustard, just as Swift wrote for the Irish women crying herrings in London streets: Be not sparing,Leave off swearing,Buy my HerringFresh from Malahide,Better ne'er was try'd.Come eat 'em with pure fresh b.u.t.ter and Mustard,Their Bellies are soft, and white as a Custard.Come Sixpence a Dozen to get me some Bread,Or, like my own Herrings, I soon shall be dead.

Now more than ever we need some of the more elaborate devices thought up by chefs in the past, to dress up this simple and excellent fish maitre d'hotel b.u.t.ter*, orange* or mustard b.u.t.ter*, purees of gooseberries* and sorrel*. Flavours that are strong and clear. In these last years, too, it has been noticeable the strides made in popularizing pickled herrings of all kinds (p. 191).

HOW TO PREPARE HERRINGS.

Since the scales of herring fall off so easily, all they need is rinsing under the tap with the minimum of help from the back of a knife. Gutting can be done via the gills, or by slitting the belly first with a pair of scissors. Any trace of blood remaining can be rubbed away with a finger dipped in salt.

Herring roe is much prized, especially the soft male roe or milt. It will be of better quality, coming directly from the fish, than the roe you buy from thawed blocks at the fishmonger's. Keep it for stuffing herring and other fish, for using in an omelette such as the Cure's omelette (p. 430) or tartlets. Recipes are given later in this section.

The head of herring is not generally removed unless you wish to bone the fish or remove the fillets. Boning is simple enough. Slit the herring, after cutting off the head, fins and tail, clean the cavity and continue the cut right to the tail. Put it on a board, backbone up, spreading the two flaps where it was cut to either side. Starting at the head end, press down along the backbone firmly to the tail. You will hear or rather feel the crunch as it loosens. Turn the fish over and pick off the backbone: remove any tiny bones with tweezers if you cannot easily raise them.

Another way of opening the herring is to cut along the backbone with a sharp knife, after removing the head. This is the way kippers are cut. You can then open it out, and sc.r.a.pe away the backbone and rinse out the innards. Keeping the roe, of course.

For fillets, cut the boned herring in half. It is also quite easy to skin large herrings, if you wish. Put them skin side down on the board, tail end towards you. Separate the fillet by sc.r.a.ping along the skin with a small pointed knife.

Since herring go from 150375 g (512 oz), it is easy to adapt sardine and mackerel recipes to them, or bluefish recipes. They all have similar oily flesh and take contrasts of sharp acidity and sweetness very well. Spices and saltiness bacon, anchovies, olives and piquancy are also to be recommended.

After preparing oily fish and this includes mackerel, sardines, bluefish and pilchards you can best get rid of the oily smell on fingers and utensils by running them under cold water. Then they can be washed in the usual way.

BAKED HERRING IN VARIOUS GUISES.

An excellent way of dealing with herrings is to bake them with a lively stuffing, but not too much or their delicate flavour will be drowned. There are three options: 1. stuff the cavity of the fish, after cleaning it.

2. bone the fish, spread it with a layer of stuffing and then roll it up from the tail, skin side out. A wooden c.o.c.ktail stick, pushed through, is needed to secure the shape.

3. bone the fish, stuff it more liberally, then fold it over into its original shape.

The oven temperature should be hot, gas 67, 200220C (400425 F); the time will vary from 1530 minutes, according to the size of the herring and the treatment you choose.

Serve the baked fish simply with lemon quarters, or with a yoghurt sauce of the kind given below. If you baste the fish as it cooks, with wine or citrus juice or a flavoured oil, the juices may well be sauce enough.

You can have a great deal of experimental fun with herrings. They are even now not too expensive. They are robust enough to stand up to lively flavours, and do not trail the aura of sole or turbot which demand to be treated with a certain reverence. With herrings you have the relaxation of feeding family and close friends, you can risk a jeu d'esprit.

All quant.i.ties below are for 6 herrings WITH CUc.u.mBER.

STUFFING125 g (4 oz) soft white breadcrumbs8-cm (3-inch) piece cuc.u.mber, peeled, diced small2 tablespoons chopped parsley1 teaspoon thyme teaspoon chopped sage3 shallots or or 1 small onion, chopped 1 small onion, chopped4 tablespoons b.u.t.terjuice and grated peel of 1 lime1 eggsalt, pepper Mix the crumbs, cuc.u.mber and herbs. Soften the shallot or onion in the b.u.t.ter, and add to the crumbs with the lime juice, peel, egg and seasoning. Serve with: SAUCE250 ml (8 fl oz) Greek yoghurt34 tablespoons double cream10-cm (4-inch) piece of cuc.u.mber, peeled, diced small2 tablespoons parsley1 tablespoon lime juicesalt, pepper Mix the ingredients together in the order given, flavouring finally to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper.

NOTE This dish can be prepared with bluefish, This dish can be prepared with bluefish, p. 59 p. 59.

WITH APPLE AND BEETROOT.

STUFFING125 g (4 oz) soft breadcrumbs1 sharp eating apple teaspoon cinnamon1 teaspoon caster sugar3 shallots or or 1 small onion, chopped 1 small onion, chopped4 tablespoons b.u.t.ter1 eggsalt, pepperabout 2 tablespoons chopped celery or walnut (optional) Put the crumbs in a basin. Peel, core and dice the apple, mixing it in with the crumbs as you go. Add cinnamon and caster sugar. Meanwhile, soften the shallot or onion in the b.u.t.ter. Add it to the crumbs with egg and seasoning. Finally, mix in the celery or walnut, if you like. Serve with: SAUCE250 ml (8 fl oz) Greek yoghurt34 tablespoons double cream2 small beetroot, golf-ball sized, boiled or or lightly pickled, peeled, chopped lightly pickled, peeled, chopped1 small eating apple, peeled, cored, dicedlemon juicesalt, pepper, sugarhorseradish Mix all the ingredients together, seasoning with lemon, salt, pepper and sugar to taste. The beetroot will turn the sauce rather a lurid pink use horseradish to give a counter-balancing edge of flavour.

WITH MUSHROOMS.

STUFFING125 g (4 oz) soft breadcrumbs3 shallots or or 1 small onion, chopped 1 small onion, chopped4 tablespoons b.u.t.ter125175 g (46 oz) mushrooms, finely chopped2 tablespoons parsley1 clove garlic, finely choppedgood pinch of oregano or or marjoram marjoramsalt, pepperlemon juice2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Put the crumbs in a bowl. Soften the shallot or onion in the b.u.t.ter, add the mushrooms, parsley and garlic, raising the heat as the mushroom juices run. Mix in the oregano or marjoram, seasoning and lemon juice to taste. If you would like an extra piquancy, add the cheese.

I prefer this dish without a sauce, though a gla.s.s of white wine poured over the herring does not come amiss. Lemon wedges and small new potatoes go with it well. Should you have the luck to pick girolles or other woodland mushrooms, or some good field mushrooms, this dish will be even more successful.

WITH GOOSEBERRIES Instead of mushrooms in the recipe above, use small green gooseberries with some sugar. Omit the garlic and use a little thyme rather than oregano or marjoram. Serve the fish on its own, or with one of the gooseberry sauces* but keep the quant.i.ty small or the herring will be overwhelmed. Instead of mushrooms in the recipe above, use small green gooseberries with some sugar. Omit the garlic and use a little thyme rather than oregano or marjoram. Serve the fish on its own, or with one of the gooseberry sauces* but keep the quant.i.ty small or the herring will be overwhelmed.

WITH SOFT ROE STUFFING See the mackerel recipe on See the mackerel recipe on p. 190 p. 190.

DEVILLED HERRINGS.

Like mackerel and sprats, herring are an ideal fish for grilling because they are so rich in oil. If you have a charcoal fire burning out of doors in the summer, cook herrings on it so that their skins catch the heat and you will not have much cause to regret the sardines of Portugal, Spain and France.

If the herrings are to be grilled whole, as in this recipe, slash them twice or three times, on either side of the backbone. This helps the heat to penetrate the thickest part and makes for even cooking. If the herrings are boned, they will need less cooking time: heat the grill rack first, brush the boned side with b.u.t.ter and seasoning and put them skin side to the heat. There will be no need to turn them over.

Serves 66 herring with soft roes3 tablespoons Dijon mustard2 teaspoons sunflower oil teaspoon cayenne peppersalt125 g (4 oz) fine breadcrumbs from stale bread125 g (4 oz) b.u.t.ter, melted Gut the herrings via the gills, extracting the roes carefully and leaving the heads in place. Slash the fish on either side of the backbone. Rinse and dry both herring and roes.

Mix together mustard, oil, cayenne and salt. Brush the cavities with this mixture and put the roes back. Tip the crumbs on to a tray, brush the herring with the mustard mixture and roll them in the crumbs to coat them. They should now go into the refrigerator for the coating to firm up, and can be left there for some time.

Preheat the grill. Line the grill pan with foil and put the rack in place. Brush it with oil and lay the herrings on top carefully. Sprinkle with melted b.u.t.ter and slide under the grill. Baste the fish from time to time and turn them once. Total time, including time required for basting, should be about 12 minutes, but check to see the herring are not overdone. They should be a nice golden brown.

The French would serve fried potatoes with this dish, but new potatoes turned in a little parsley b.u.t.ter or plain bread are good alternatives.

FRIED HERRING WITH CREAM AND ROE SAUCE.

If you can persuade the fishmonger to choose you soft-roed herrings, this is an agreeable way of serving them.

Serves 66 herrings with their roes3 shallots, choppedabout 6 tablespoons b.u.t.ter300 ml (10 fl oz) creme fraiche or or half soured, half double cream half soured, half double creamchopped parsley, chives and chervilsalt, pepperlemon juiceseasoned flour Clean the herrings, removing the roes carefully. Cook the shallots in a little of the b.u.t.ter in a small pan until they are soft but not coloured. Process or blend the roes with the cream(s). Off the heat, stir this mixture into the shallots, add chopped herbs, seasoning and a little lemon juice to taste. Just before serving, put back on to a low heat and stir all the time until slightly thickened.

For the herrings, turn them in seasoned flour and cook them in the minimum of b.u.t.ter. Do not have the heat too high as this is a mild dish: you do not want the b.u.t.ter or the skin of the fish to burn.

Put the herrings on to a warm serving dish, with small new potatoes, and pour the sauce over the fish.

VARIATION If your herrings do not all have soft roes, add what you can muster to a Sauce verte de Chausey*. If your herrings do not all have soft roes, add what you can muster to a Sauce verte de Chausey*.

HERRING FRIED IN THE SCOTTISH FASHION.

This is many people's favourite way of cooking herrings. I used to dip them in coa.r.s.e oatmeal but now have more success with fine or medium oatmeal which clings better. This is not a recipe for small herrings. You need the larger more robust kind. Go for Ayrshire bacon if you can, or the even fattier Yorkshire bacon which gives plenty of fat for the fish. Serve oatcakes with the herring if you want to be precise in your tradition. I prefer bread, especially if it incorporates oatmeal with the flour, or potatoes that are floury.

To test for this, try the potatoes in a bucket of water before you cook them, adding 1 part salt to 11 parts water. Waxy potatoes will float, floury ones will sink. I am indebted to Harold McGee for this invaluable bit of information from his On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.

Serves 66 fine herrings, bonedsalt, pepperfine or medium oatmeal12 rashers of bacon, best quality46 tablespoons bacon fat or or lard larda little chopped parsley6 lemon wedges Season the herrings well and press them firmly down into a tray of oatmeal so that they are well coated on both sides.

Fry the bacon, crisp if you can and brown, in the bacon fat or lard. Keep them warm, then fry the herrings in the fat until nicely browned, turning them carefully so as to lose as little oatmeal as possible. Serve them with the bacon, scattered very lightly with a little parsley, and with the lemon wedges.

WELSH SUPPER HERRINGS (Swper Scadan) This is a Welsh version of a gratin of a kind popular over much of northern Europe. The old way was to put the various ingredients together raw, then to cook them in a moderate oven for about an hour. This does have the effect of overcooking the fish but gives the flavours plenty of chance to blend together, so that it ends up as a comforting soft sort of mixture. Today I blanch the potato slices the slowest cooking ingredient so that the fish retains more of its personality after a much briefer stay in the oven.

Serves 61 kg (2 lb) potatoes, peeled, sliced6 filleted herringsmustard, salt, pepper2 cooking apples or or 2 large sharp eating apples, peeled, cored, sliced 2 large sharp eating apples, peeled, cored, sliced1 large onion, sliced paper thin teaspoon dried sage2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter, melted Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220C (425F). Choose a gratin dish large enough to hold the herrings in a single layer, and rub it out with a b.u.t.ter paper.

Blanch the potato slices in salted boiling water until they are opaque and almost cooked. Drain and cool slightly, while preparing the rest of the dish.

Open the herrings, spread them with mustard and seasoning. Fold them back into shape, or roll them over loosely.

Put half the potatoes in the base of the dish, with half the apples and half the onion. Put the herrings on top with seasoning and sage, then apple and onion, and a top layer of the rest of the potatoes. Pour the b.u.t.ter, or brush it, evenly over the potato. Bake for 20 minutes, then test and see if the herrings need more time. The top should brown nicely but it can always be finished off under the grill.

SOFT HERRING ROES.

The creamy texture of soft roes lends itself to some delicious recipes. Provided, that is, you can find them in good shape. Often they have been flung together and frozen into an enormous damaged heap, so that they are good for nothing but the sieve. Keep these poor creatures for the roe paste or roe stuffing, below, or to make a creamy sauce for shrimp and prawn boats. Unblemished, dignified pairs of roes may be fried in b.u.t.ter and served on fried bread, with lemon quarters, or cooked as follows. The recipes following may also be used for mackerel and other soft roes.

DEVILLED SOFT ROES.