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Herring in Oatmeal With Drambuie Butter
 
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Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 57 Minutes
Ready In: 82 Minutes
Servings: 4
Combining two items which formed a staple of Scottish diet over many centuries, herring coated in oatmeal is a classic Scottish dish. In more modern times, chefs have added their own touches to the basic dish, such as the Drambuie Butter, lemon, and cress. Old Scots would not have known such refinements. :D Serve with steamed veggies. This is great for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
4 ounces unsalted butter (one stick)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons drambuie
8 herring fillets (2 per person)
coarse oatmeal
salt and pepper
drippings or cooking oil
Directions:
1. Drambuie Butter:.
2. Note: This needs to be prepared ahead as it must chill for at least an hour.
3. Soften the butter but don't melt it.
4. Beat in the other ingredients and then roll out into a cylinder shape with a diameter of about one inch.
5. Wrap in foil/greaseproof paper/vegetable parchment/waxed paper and leave in the refridgerator to harden again.
6. Any leftover butter can be put on a tray and frozen and stored in small freezer bags. But don't keep them for more than one week.
7. The Fish:.
8. Depending on how you buy your fish, you may have to de-bone yourself. Cut along the underside of the herring, lay it on a table, cut side down and hit across the backbone in a few places with a rolling pin or your hand. Remove the backbone and as many of the smaller bones as possible. Scrape the scales from the fish with a knife, remove heads and tails.
9. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss them in a plastic bag with plenty of oatmeal.
10. Or, if you prefer, put the fish on a plate and coat them with oatmeal - you may have to press the oatmeal into the fish to ensure it is fully covered.
11. Fry in meat dripping or cooking oil - put them in with the skin side upwards first.
12. Fry until lightly brown, turn and cook the other side.
13. It should take 5/7 minutes. Drain the fish on paper towels.
14. Note: Don't put more than a 1/4 of oil in your pan at a time and keep it at a low heat. If you put too much oil in the pan, your oatmeal will just fall off instead of frying nice and crisp. And if it's too hot, your run the risk of burning yourself as well as the fish.
15. To serve, cut the butter into slices and place two on each fish immediately before serving the cooked herrings. Add garnish of cress or lemon according to preference. This is good with steamed veggies.
By RecipeOfHealth.com