Wendy Barrie is Scottish Thistle Award Regional Ambassador (2018/19) for Central, Tayside and Fife, founder and director of award-winning www.scottishfoodguide.scot and www.scottishcheesetrail.com, and leader in Scotland for Slow Food Ark of Taste & Member of Slow Food Cooks Alliance.
We love our fish’n’chips but do we give other maritime morsels a sufficient chance? Undoubtedly not! Our velvet crabs and spoots (razor clams) speed off to Spain and that paella you enjoyed in Portugal was probably with Scottish-landed shellfish. There is little so satisfying as a dressed Fife crab in season straight from the quay, and we have all heard of the Pittenweem prawn.
I recall years ago there was an entertaining article in the press about an Orkney doctor. He was fair scunnered with his continuous stream of patients with snuffles and sneezes, wabbit and whining, expecting a magic potion from him for their ills. Frustrated and reluctant to prescribe medication he considered unnecessary, he famously wrote on prescriptions “Eat more herring!” and caused quite a stir.
So with this in mind today’s dish is delicious fried herring. Sandwich together two seasoned boneless fillets with a generous nugget of chive or dill butter then egg and crumb the result, twice. Be sure to use your own wholemeal/sourdough breadcrumbs for a delectable result. Pan fry on both sides in Scottish rapeseed oil until crumb is well toasted and herring cooked through. These are delicious, meltingly moist in the middle and crispy on the outside. Served with potatoes and/or salad, scattered with dandelion petals – enjoy your healthy herring!
Songs to cook to
Santana – Corazon Espinado with Mana is great to dance to and always reminds me of our trips to Terra Madre in Torino where I first heard it.
