Have ready some hot toast spread with Gentlemen’s Relish or anchovy paste. The Drum and Monkey is an informal bare-floorboards type of bistro which specialises in British seafood. It was stuffed full of interesting lectures and workshops, but for me the highlight was the session with Val McDermid interviewing Professor Sue Black. The Festival is held in Harrogate, a Yorkshire town I’ve been visiting on and off for exhibitions and conferences for many years. Drain and pat dry on paper towels. Herring roe is so soft and creamy and the cooking in butter is just the way to treat them. Get fine fresh, plump roes. 10/10 Sometimes known as ‘melts’, soft herring roes are the creamy, rich roes of male herring. Cook until golden, three or four minutes. The dish that arrived was excellent. She raises funds for the Centre in part by calling on all the favours she has done her friends and acquaintances in the crime writing world, furnishing them with medical details – a recent project, for example, involved the authors in auctioning off the naming of characters in their books and donating the proceeds to the centre. They were served with perfect texture of golden butter fried outside and deliquescent interior. At the time I went, still chortling delightedly to myself remembering the verbal quips and parries of the titanic ladies, the restaurant had just changed hands. Val McDermid is, of course, a famous crime writer and also a lady of formidables. (If you are dealing with more than one panful, keep the cooked roes warm in a low oven.). Add the cayenne and the salt. By Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright. Wash them under hot running water; this will remove the slime and stiffen them up. Cook the bacon until brittle. Coat the roes in the breadcrumbs and begin frying. It’s very good with cayenne, but if you don’t like your food too hot you can substitute for Spanish sweet smoked paprika, 1 tbsp of Panko breadcrumbs (or you can simply dust with flour), 1 slice of sourdough bread (this is ideal as it tends to get less soggy than other types of bread). …this post is dedicated to Chris Longmuir. Drain and pat dry on paper towels. Formidable razor-sharp, quick intellect, formidable determination… and formidable physique – a generously proportioned red headed Scot. All rights reserved. Get the toast going (if you have an Aga, make it on the Aga, it is so much better). Soft herring roes on toast from Gary Rhodes at the Table by Gary Rhodes. This recipe produces a very similar result. They are reputedly at their best in early summer when stalls appear on Amsterdam streets. The herring roe is best lightly dusted with flour before being pan fried in butter and served on toast. At the Drum and Monkey I had it with buttered spinach. A couple of years ago, pursuing my ambition to one day write a detective novel, I went up to the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on some paper towels. Butter the toast, top with the roes, sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve with a lemon wedge. As well as being formidable, Sue Black also has also made a cracking good selection for Desert Island Discs – which I give below for you to enjoy as you cook and eat these delicious little fishy morsels. Stir in the tomatoes and mustard, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn Around; performed by Nanci Griffith, All about langoustes and a recipe for something fantastic to do with them. https://www.hungryforever.com/recipe/soft-roes-on-toast-recipe When it is just sizzling, put in the roes and cook gently until golden brown on both sides. There is also a wonderful recipe for smoky herring roes, go to Jack Monroe’s excellent blog. Remove from the bag, shake off excess flour, and lay them on some wax paper. Cook for 1 more minute or until the tomatoes have softened slightly. “A court chef was once asked what he considered the greatest delicacy of all foods, and his selection was the soft roe of a herring – properly dealt with”, -F L Griggs, Food and Drink: A Paper Read Before the Campden Branch of the Women’s Institute, 1938. 2. Toss the herring roes into the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Both women also have in common a wicked sense of humour and a long friendship. Dry the herring roes on some kitchen paper. Milts (also known as melts) are the roes of male herring, often known as soft roe. Sue Black is a lady of formidables. Butter the toast, top with the roes, sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve with a lemon wedge. They sort of shiver on the toast when carried. Put enough flour in a plastic bag to coat them, then gently shake the roes to coat all over. Heat 50g of the butter in a trusty heavy frying pan or, better still, a non-stick one. Remove from the bag, shake … This is my old standby and one of my favorite savories. Cook until golden, three or four minutes. Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. The crime writer, Chris Longmuir, was also in the audience, and she has very kindly supplied me with the featured photograph for which I am most grateful, and so…. See recipes for Delicious Kazunoko (Herring Roe) for Osechi too. Rich and creamy, they literally melt in your mouth and are packed with vitamin D. Our milts are from North East Atlantic Herring. Crumble the bacon over the top and strew with chopped parsley. If you’re feeling saintly you can accompany it with a green salad – something fresh and peppery – maybe iceberg lettuce with cucumber and rocket, or with green beans and roasted tinned potatoes. Romeo and Juliet; performed by Dire Straits, 7. Coat the roes in the breadcrumbs and begin frying. It’s very cheap, too. In The Mood; performed by Glenn Miller, 3. Whenever I have the time I escape from the stands and lectures to the antique halls … and to the Drum and Monkey. Shopping List; Ingredients; Notes (0) Reviews (0) ground cayenne pepper; lemons; bread; herring roe; Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients? Baker Street; performed by Gerry Rafferty, 4. Serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over them. Get fine fresh, plump roes. 2014 was a bad year for them, and tinned roes may still be difficult to find. If I could turn back time: performed by Cher (this is a private video on YouTube), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsKbwR7WXN4, 8. 13 homemade recipes for herring roe from the biggest global cooking community! Pile the roes onto the toasts and sprinkle with cayenne pepper and a touch of salt. Melt the butter with a slug of oil in a good heavy frying pan. Meanwhile, toast the slices of bread on both sides under the grill. Wash them under hot running water; this will remove the slime and stiffen them up. They had soft herring roes on the menu which, like omelettes, liver and consommé, is a good test of the skill of the chef. Matjes, Maatjes, Pickled Herring or Soused Herring… a Rose By Any Other Name? Heat some butter in a small frying pan, don’t let it burn. Matjes made…, Recipe for soft herring roes on sourdough toast, 100g/4 oz soft herring roes – you can buy them fresh at Waitrose, or order from your fishmonger, or you can buy tinned ones at Sainsbury’s, 1 lemon wedge – this is important, and it does make a difference using fresh lemon rather than the stuff in the plastic lemon, A generous amount of chopped fresh, flat-leaved parsley (the flat-leaved type has a bit more flavour), A pinch of cayenne (a generous pinch if you like your food hot).