Herring
Clupea harengus · Fish
Top 10 pairings
A small, silver, oily fish of the cold North Atlantic and Baltic, with soft, rich, strongly flavoured flesh. Eaten fresh but above all cured: salted in barrels, pickled into rollmops and smoked into kippers.
Picking a good onedrag
Just landed, bright and stiffOff: sunken, soft, rancid
Iced and firmBuy itBuy it from ice; cook it that day. Pregnant, over 65, a child or low immunity? Avoid it raw or lightly cured.
EyesFlat, no longer bulging
Skin and slimeBloom dulling, slime turning milky
FirmnessFairly stiff, springs back
Smell at the gillsLess seaweedy, a slight oily note