Fried Herrings

Herrings
150ml (¼ pint) Ale
1 Small Onion or Shallot, finely chopped
Flour
Butter
Salt and Pepper
Dust with seasoned flour.
Heat the butter in a frying pan.
Fry over a brisk heat until cooked.
Remove from the pan and drain well.
Cut off the heads and tails, and bruise gently.
Place them into a saucepan with the ale, a small onion or shallot, salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil and simmer gently for a few minutes.
Remove from the saucepan and drain.
Strain the cooking liquid and return to the saucepan.
Heat gently, adding a paste made from butter and flour to thicken the sauce.
Put the sauce in a basin in the centre of a serving plate and arrange the herrings around with the tails towards the basin and the milts and roes between.
Garnish with crisp parsley and lemon.

To Fry Herrings

Scale and wash your herrings clean, strew over them a little flour and salt; let your butter be very hot before you put your herrings into the pan, then shake them to keep them stirring, and fry them over a brisk fire; when they are fried cut off the heads and bruise them, put to them a jill of ale, (but the ale must not be bitter) add a little pepper and salt, a small onion or shallot, if you have them, and boil them altogether; when they are boiled, strain them, and put them into your sauce-pan again, thicken them with a little flour and butter, put it into a bason, and set it in the middle of your dish; fry the milts and roans together, and lay round your herrings.
Garnish your dish with crisp parsley, and serve it up.
English Housewifry - 1764

Note: This recipe has not been tested by The Foody, please read the original recipe text before attempting to cook it.
Many of such recipes do not contain exact weights and measures, or cooking temperatures, so it is advised that only experienced cooks should attempt using them.

HistoricFish

Fried Herrings

To Fry Herrings

Historic
Fish