Refresh
    Herring Sandwich

    This is very much a pickled affair with this Sandwich but also a slap on the head wake up call and God, do we do need one sometimes during our day? This Herring Sandwich is either a Brunch or a Lunch but not for the faint hearted. It is ever so simple to make however it does deliver a punch.

    Putting it all Together
    Herring Sandwich
    Timing
    • Preptime: 24 hours of sousing/ marinating time & 5 to 10 min
    • Cooktime: None. Just assemblage.
    • Servings: 2 portions
    Ingredients

    2 deboned fillets of Herrings.

    2 White Onions.

     2 Large Gherkins or 6 Small ones.

    Dill Mustard or Dill with Dijon Mustard.

    2 Half Baguettes.

    Chopped Chives.

    Cream Cheese.

    Steps

    The first step is to marinate or souse your Ingredients: the Herring Fillets, the Gherkins if they are not already pickled and the White Onions.

    The Marinade for the Herrings and the Onions  consist of 500 ml of White Wine Vinegar, a teaspoon of allspice, a teaspoon of Coriander Seeds, a tea spoon of Mustard Seeds, 2 Bay Leaves, 1 Tablespoon of soft Brown Sugar and a dried Red Chilli of your liking (I  do go for Cayenne Chilli Pepper which is because I grow them and dry them).

    Leave the chopped White Onions and the Herrings Fillets for 24 hours minimum in the Marinade. It will inpart them flavours. Let everything to rest in a fridge, covered in a bowl.

    The choice of Gherkins is up to you. The large ones are usually less sharp than the smaller ones. It is all about the Vinegar sharpness you can handle at the end of the day. But it also need a balance because the Fish and the Onions will have marinated as well overnight. I would go for the large Gherkins myself despite liking the smaller ones very much indeed.

    Then there is the choice to be made for the Bread to build the Sandwich. There my advice would be to go for a crusty Bread like a Baguette which can be cut in half or bought in half (la Demi-Baguette). The reason for this choice is purely for texture rather than myself being French. The fact is that the Fish is soft, the Gherkin is soft and the Onion will be soft as well, therefore a crusty element is needed. 

    For the Balance of flavours but also of the Sandwich itself, you do have the softness of the Herring Fish but also its Protein and Omega 3. The Gherkin is bringing a sharp element but also a Veg within that Meal. The Same goes for the chopped White Onion. The Bread is a source of Carbohydrate. Now you can add a soothing element (to balance the Pickling of most of the Ingredients) bringing you Calcium which is Cream Cheese. For additional flavours chopped Chives and Dill are recommended.

    To finish off drizzle the Dill Mustard upon the Herring then close your Sandwich and eat. It will kick off your afternoon.

      

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