Name: Soused Herring with Pickled Cucumber and Crème Fraîche
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200 ml salad oil (half veg/half olive), or neutral-tasting oil (like peanut); sea salt; 2 cucumbers; 2 sprigs of fresh thyme; 50 ml white wine vinegar; 100 ml white wine; ½ bunch of fresh dill, chervil or tarragon, chopped; 100 g caster sugar, to taste; 400 ml white wine vinegar; 4 tsp crème fraîche, to serve; 8 herring fillets, pin-boned and rinsed; 1 star anise; a few parsley stalks; 6 shallots, peeled and finely sliced into half-moons; 1 tsp mixed peppercorns; olive oil; salt and pepper

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cooks Country

By Matt Tebbutt

Published 2008

About

Soused herring is a great standby as it keeps exceptionally well in the fridge and makes a perfect light lunch or supper dish. The important thing is to use herrings at their best.

Ingredients

8 herring fillets, pin-boned and rinsed
4 tsp crème fraîche, to serve

Method

Season the shallots with salt and sauté gently in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil for 5 minutes, just to take the edge off the onions. Add the aromatics, white wine, white wine vinegar and the salad oil. Bring to a gentle simmer and remove from the heat.

Lay the fillets of raw herring in a tray and pour over the marinade. The marinade must be hot – as the acidity of the marinade