383. CHOKKA HERRING with BACON

serves 4


8 (or more) fresh herring
large knob (25g) of butter
2 bacon rashers
1 small onion
1 hard boiled egg, finely chopped
50 g of mushrooms (optional)
3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of cream
Pinch of mixed herbs
Salt
Black pepper

Scale, gut and fillet the fish, wash and dry. Chop the onion and bacon finely. Melt butter in a frypan and fry the bacon over a low heat, stirring to prevent it sticking, for about three minutes. Add the onion and fry until it is soft and transparent.

If using mushrooms, clean and chop them finely. Add them to the pan and stir over medium heat for about 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and add breadcrumbs, chopped egg, mixed herbs, and cream. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Lay half the fillets on the bottom of a well buttered narrow baking dish. On top of these, make a thick layer of the mixture.

Place the rest of the fillets on top of the mixture and press the resulting 'sandwich' firmly together. Place some small knobs of butter on top and dust the sandwich lightly with salt and pepper.

Place the dish in a moderately hot oven (190 deg C) and cook for about 25 minutes. Serve with boiled potatoes and tomato sauce.


courtesy of: Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, Locked Bag 39, Cloisters Square WA 6850, Australia