It is an emblematic fish in Pas-de-Calais and more precisely in Boulogne-sur-Mer, the herring capital.

In her column "Balade gourmande" on Sunday on Europe 1, Marion Sauveur gives you two good ideas for cooking it: apple herring in oil and herring terrine. 

Herring is a symbolic dish of the Opal Coast.

This fish is a must in Boulogne-sur-Mer, its capital and first French fishing port.

With silvery reflections, it lives in the cold waters of the northern seas but descends in mid-November to lay eggs off the French coast.

But how to taste this raw fish with pearly flesh and a good smoky taste?

Europe 1 gives you two recipes to awaken your taste buds.

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A tradition from the north of France

In the 19th century, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, the entire local population lived off herring: men fish and women lift nets.

And it is they who are responsible for preserving the fish, aided by the sea salting but also the sausages, places where it is smoked.

Even today, some master smokers continue this ancestral practice.

The recipe par excellence: it's apple herring in oil.

A salad of lukewarm potatoes, mixed with smoked herring fillets well vinegared.

A traditional but very tasty composition.

Apple herring in oil

Ingredients 

  • 500 grams of potatoes

  • 8 herring fillets

  • A shallot

  • 4 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

  • A teaspoon of mustard

  • 2 tablespoons of wine vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil

The steps of the recipe 

1.

Cook the potatoes with their skins in boiling water for 20 minutes.

Check the cooking by sticking a knife.

2.

Cut the herring fillets into strips.

3.

Make the vinaigrette by mixing the mustard with the vinegar.

Add the oil and the chopped shallot.

Add the smoked herring to the sauce.

4.

Peel the potatoes and cut into slices.

Mix the potatoes with the herring sauce and taste still warm.

Smoked herring can also be an appetizer star.

For this, it is better to favor a second recipe: that of the herring terrine.

Subtly flavored, it will hit the mark on your guests.

The herring terrine

Ingredients

  • Sunflower oil

  • 4 herring fillets

  • An onion

  • 2 carrots

  • 2 bay leaves

The steps of the recipe

1.

Cut your herring fillets into strips and place them in a jar full of sunflower oil.

2.

With the herring, add chopped onions, sliced ​​carrots and herbs (bay leaves).

3.

And leave it in the fridge for half a day.

Then serve the terrine on toast.