Smoked herring - AKA Blind Robins, Kippers, etc.

[loki]

I bought two containers of what I thought were kippers. However, I did not really know how to serve them. I've found them before labelled as such - years ago in Moab, Utah of all places. When I got them home they were sort of mistreated on tranit and I never really put them to use. I love English breakfasts and enjoyed them when I was in the UK (really had them more in Scotland). There were kippers and I seem to remember them warmed up and pretty tasty. When I do a search now, however what I find is that kipppers are a specific kind of smoked herring - split and smoked and pretty much ready to eat. What I bought were mostly skinned and sort of filleted (lots of little bones remain - so really they are just one side of the fish, without most of the skin). They are also extremely salty. They look like what are called "blind robins" when I do a search for images. I can't really imagine anyone eating them as a snack as is though. I can eat anchovies - canned ones in oil, not the ones packed in salt - so I know about eating salty fish. These are much more extreme. They also don't seem dry enough for this use. I soaked a few in milk, and they got soft and seem much more edible, though not just soaked in milk... I'm still wondering what to do next with them. Here are my questions:

How to use these?

I bought these in an Asian market. How would they be used in Asian cuisine (most of the clientèle are originally Laotian, Cambodian, or Vietnamese)?

Can I get real Kippers (not kipper snacks) - in a small city in the US, not near any coast?

[naguere]

         Port of Lancaster Lancashire Whole Kippers - 3kg box     

 

Well, you asked about kippers (quite a while ago). 

my order arrived today all (3Kg), they are vacuum packed will be good until 5th June.

They freeze well  and are good for a twelve month.

 

I like kippers:

 

 

[Deryn]

My father, who was Welsh and grew up on them, adored kippers. My mother and the rest of our family, not so much. I liked the taste (and the smell) but hated the tiny bones. At any rate, about twice a year, my mother would prepare kippers for Dad's breakfast by simmering them in a bit of milk with butter. Can't recall how long she simmered them for but I don't think it was very long (not hours anyway - I think they would have fallen apart).

 

Thanks for the reminder, Naguere. That is a swarm of very nice looking kippers you have there. How will you prepare them - grilled? or poached?

[rotuts]

@naguere   

 

those are the finest looking kippers Ive seen in a long time.   I love smoked fish, pickled fish, raw fish  ( selected species ) etc.

 

the bones are a  learning experience, and if you prep before you heat and plate   not so bad.

 

love to have those available for me

 

one thing I used to make a ways back was a kipper 'pate'  you pass the flesh through a fine mesh strainer and the bone are

 

gone.  or ground up fine enough in the Cuisinart to not matter.

 

never thought to have that pate for breakfast.

 

rats.

Edited May 20, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[Tere]

kippers <3

[naguere]

Deryn (and others), to cook kippers my way:

 

put the kipper on a plate (skin side down), cut off tail or head to fit. Dress with butter or olive oil and two thin slices of lemon then pepper, no salt as they have been cured in salt.

 

cover with cooking cling film, make a small hole in middle  then put in microwave for two and a half minutes.

 

it will be good with buttered brown bread.

 

Picture to follow.

 

 

[liuzhou]

Growing up in Scotland, kippers were a two or three times a week breakfast.

 

Last night I had a long (and long distance) telephone conversation with my mother (now 90) and, because of this topic, we got onto kippers and herring in general. She tells me she still has kippers two or three times a week for breakfast and also has un-smoked herring in oatmeal at least once a week.

 

When she's not having Arbroath smokies.

Edited May 21, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[rotuts]

Ive had Arbroath smokies in Scotland some time ago

 

superb stuff.

[liuzhou]

You have to be careful with kippers these days. Far too many are dyed and use liquid smoke type preparations. Real smoked herring kippers are something else.

[Deryn]

My mother would have loved that very fast and simple microwave kipper technique, Naguere - but, back when she was alive and making them for Dad, unfortunately we had no such thing as a microwave. It sounds ideal though so should I ever happen again onto 'real' kippers (per Liuzhou's apt commentary), I will try it your way.