Salt Herring Bake
Our traditional barrel salted herring is a culinary treat – one which has been used as a staple in the Northern Isles for centuries. Although the tradition of salting fish has died out in Britain, it has remained a practice in Orcadian homes.
So, you may have been asking yourself, ‘how do I cook salt herring?
This simple yet delicious dish is a strong staple recipe for Orcadians. The salty fish combined with the rich Orkney butter, cream and milk, makes for a hearty supper.
Ingredients:
- 3 fillets of Jollys of Orkney Salted Herring
- 300g potatoes
- 2 onions
- 1 clove of garlic
- 100ml single cream
- 200ml full fat milk
- 25g Orkney butter
- Grated Mature Orkney Cheddar to finish
- Ground black pepper
- Thyme to season
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200°C and prepare oven dish (grease with a small amount of butter)
- Fillet the Orkney Salted Herring removing as many bones as possible
- Thinly slice the onion and garlic and add to frying pan. Soften on a medium heat with the Orkney butter
- Peel and slice the potatoes into thin sticks
- Layer the oven dish with potatoes, onion and herring, finally pouring over the milk, cream and pepper.
- Cover with the dish with kitchen foil and cook for around an hour. After an hour, remove foil and add the grated Orkney Mature Cheddar Cheese to dish. Put back in the oven for 15 mins until browning on top
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5/10 minutes
