Haring met Uien
The world-famous Dutch maritime tradition: tender, mildly salted raw Hollandse Nieuwe herring served the traditional way with finely diced sweet white onions and dill pickle spears.
Ingredients
- • 4 fresh Dutch soused herring fillets (Hollandse Nieuwe with tail fins attached)
- • 1 large sweet white onion, finely minced
- • 2 sweet-sour gherkins, sliced into thin spears
- • Fresh lemon wedges
- • Coarsely ground black pepper
- • Dark Dutch rye bread slices (optional)
Preparation Steps
Peel and very finely mince the sweet white onion. If the onion is pungent, rinse in a small sieve under cold running water for 10 seconds to retain sweetness while removing raw sting.
Ensure the herring fillets are thoroughly chilled and patted gently with kitchen paper. Check that the delicate silver-skinned fillets are intact.
For the traditional Dutch street feast, leave the tail fin attached so the fish can be dipped in onions and lowered into the mouth whole; alternatively, cut across the fillet into 3cm bite-sized sections with cocktail flags.
Lay the herring fillets onto a platter or wooden board. Heap the finely minced onions generously beside the fish, add the gherkin spears and lemon wedges, and serve with dark rye bread.