schmalz herring

[Mottmott]

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I meant to say matjes herring, but schmalz came out of my mouth. Well, now I have three of them. Is there anything I can do with them beyond pickling them?

[Behemoth]

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I meant to say matjes herring, but schmalz came out of my mouth. Well, now I have three of them. Is there anything I can do with them beyond pickling them?

I was gonna say, schmalz herring sounded really revolting. I have some north german cookbooks I can look through for ya, just give me a minute.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Is there anything I can do with them beyond pickling them?

alternatives for schmaltz herring

The first two recipes are not brine-involved. See what you think.

[Behemoth]

Are schmalz herrings ones that are preserved in schmalz?

Anyway, I found a bunch of matjes recipes, they call for things that aren't easily available here, but here is an approximation:

One nice way to serve them is cold, topped with some finely sliced red onion, acompanied by new potatoes boiled with caraway and salt, and green beans sliced on the diaginal, blanched, and then quickly sauteed with minced onion and bacon.

You can also stuff tomatoes with a herring salad made with minced onion, watercress and fresh farmer's cheese -- that is a pretty common treatment.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Are schmalz herrings ones that are preserved in schmalz?

No, schmaltz simply means "fat" ...(i.e. fat herrings) ....

and they are not preserved in "schmaltz", which is actually a golden liquid fat rendered out of chicken fat.

So far, this makes absolutely no sense, I am quite certain.

[Behemoth]

Are schmalz herrings ones that are preserved in schmalz?

No, schmaltz simply means "fat" ...(i.e. fat herrings) ....

and they are not preserved in "schmaltz", which is actually a golden liquid fat rendered out of chicken fat.

So far, this makes absolutely no sense, I am quite certain.

I looked it up -- Schmalz Herring are preserved in oil. Schmalz = animal or plant fat. i.e., the fat refers to what they are preserved in, not to the herrings themselves. (Otherwise they would be what, Schmalzige herringe? My grammar, as always, fails me. )

Oddly enough, I searched on google.de and got only english links. Go figure.

(edited for spelling)

Edited June 6, 2004 by Behemoth (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Schmaltz herring ... yet another view

[Behemoth]

Schmaltz herring is cured by being covered with coarse salt and left with a weight on top for up to four days. Before it can be used, it needs to be soaked for as long as one or two days in a few changes of water to remove the salt. Matjes herring is preserved in brine and is relatively fresh, so it usually needs no more than one hour's soaking. My fishmonger gets matjes from Holland and skins and fillets it for me. They are my favorite, and particularly delicious when they have been soaked in milk instead of water.

Huh, the name makes absolutely no sense to me, something must've been lost in the translation. I've only had matjes herring, in Hamburg. (Holstentor brand comes from around there, it is pretty traditional to that area).

[Kenk]

The Schmaltz herring I am used to eating is similar to the description Gifted Gourmet posted. It comes in brine and usually also has some sugar in the brine. As the Schmaltz implies it tends to be fattier than the plain salted herring in plain salt brine. It used to come in barrels but is now found in plastic pails.

To prepare it I like to soak in water for a couple of hours, clen it, and eat with raw onions, lemon juice, and kimmel bread or pumpernickel.

The best ones have a creamy texture and a nice sweet background taste.

I really don't like the herring in a jar packed in oil that is called schmaltz herring.

I have had matjes herring in Holland, prepared on the street. The herring is filleted from whole and served with chopped onions. The herring is lightly brined and has a silky texture.

I like the matjes herring that comes in a sweet and spicy (allspice, cloves,) sauce. I have had the Abba brand and an Icelandic brand.

I have bought a version of matjes herring at Ikea. It is a good start to what you may want to do with your basic matjes herring.

[Mottmott]

I bought this at a deli, and this herrring has definitely been processed. I haven't tasted it yet. I will probably follow the process of soaking it, then making some sort of sour cream dressing for it. For years I've been "doctoring" herring in sour cream by washing it off, then adding fresh sour cream, thinly sliced onions and citrus to freshen it up. I'll do a version of that. But what I really wanted was matjes. Oh well.

My cat really perked up when I unwrapped it.

edited to add: The way I've prepared pickled herring (jarred) in the past is similar to Keck's with the addition of sour cream. I think I have enough to try something else, too.

And this is definitely not preserved in fat, "schmaltz" refers to the type of herring itself.

Edited June 6, 2004 by Mottmott (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

And this is definitely not preserved in fat, "schmaltz" refers to the type of herring itself.

See my comments above ... I feel vindicated that someone else has come to the exact same conclusion!

As for your cat? "bon appetit, chat du belle poisson!"

[jackal10]

Eat the filets raw, with raw onion (optional); delicious, and seasonal

[Mottmott]

I called the deli to confirm what brine they'd been cured in: vinegar, some salt. The deli man says some people eat the roe, but he doesn't. Anyone here have anything to add to that? He sounded so doubtful, but I'll bet it's someone's delicacy.

I have the herring soaking in cold water as of early this AM. Tomorrow I'll filet them. Then I'll put them in a mild fresh brine for storage purposes, maybe adding a bit of sugar for balance.

I'm not sure how the cats will react to pickled sh. They're so idiosyncratic. I've one cat wild for fruitcake, another fliped for cantaloup. One wouldn't touch fish, but you'd put her in heaven with fried chicken.

[Gifted Gourmet]

The deli man says some people eat the roe, but he doesn't. Anyone here have anything to add to that?

Recipe for herring roe dish

apparently, Kazunoko (herring roe) is indispensable to the new year dish "Osechi".

Edited June 8, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Mottmott]

Truly Gifted.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Truly Gifted.

Why, thank you, MottMott .. are we on good enough terms that I may refer to you simply as Mott? or is that way too familiar??

Of course, herring roe isn't terribly difficult to read about on the Net, whereas it is no doubt harder to obtain in real time ...

[Kenk]

It is probably preferable to use matjes herring that is not in vinegar. But if that all you have. I have seen german brands in plastic rectangular containers but I am not sure where you can get them near you.

I really like the herring roe and the "soft roe". I do not see it often in the Schmaltz herring any more. I do see it in salted herring some times.

Polish grocery stores are a good source for herring products.

[Mottmott]

Why, thank you, MottMott .. are we on good enough terms that I may refer to you simply as Mott? or is that way too familiar??

Oh, be familiar, please. Mott, or Mottmott, is the pet name for my Motley cat, or, my familiar. You may even call me Barbara to be very very familiar.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Thanks, Barbara .....Maybe Roe, Roe, Roe your herring??

Edited June 9, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)