The Matjes herring season has started!
Not only at the Romantik Hotel Hostellerie de Hamert in the Dutch Wellerlooi is the start of the Matjes herring season a festive day. But what is it that makes the dish so special?
Matjes herring is the not yet sexually mature, slightly salted herring with much fat. The 'production process' was discovered in the Netherlands in 1395 already, partly by chance. A cut beneath the jaw removes the gills, the fish is gutted, only the pancreas remains. Afterwards the fish is brined to keep it fresh for longer.
During Friedrich the Great's lifetime the Dutch who were in demand as architects in Prussia, brought the Matjes herring to Northern Germany.
Julien Dherbecourt, chef at the Romantik Hotel Benen-Diken-Hof in Keitum, has provided us with the suiting recipe for 'Matjes herring tartar on Frisian bread'.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 4 double Matjes herring filets
- 1 spring onion, cubed
- 1 tea-spoon minced walnuts
- 1 tea-spoon minced chives
- 1 table-spoon sour cream
- 1 apple, cubed
- 1 drop of white Balsamico vinegar
- 1drop of lemon-olive oil
- 4 slices of Frisian coarse rye bread
Preparation:
Dice the Matjes herring filets. Mix them with all the other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Dish the tatar on the sliced Frisian bread and decorate with red onion rings.
Enjoy the meal!