For , the herring lover...

[Guest guest]

Mr. Idol,

Saw this post on Chowhound.com and had to share it with you. No, I still don't

like herring, but since you love it AND you love Russ & Daughters, I couldn't

resist.

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June 30, 2003 at 21:25:17

I had herring that was totally different from any I had ever eaten at Russ and

Daughters yesterday. . Yes, yes, yes, telling you about Russ and Daughters is

nothing new...I know they sell the epitome of cured and smoked fishly delights;

but, really, this herring was life-changing....

The various pickled herring fillets were nestled snug in their chilly bed,

swimming in wine sauce and onions, draped with mustard sauce, but the ones that

truly stood out weren't fillets at all, but whole dressed fish, sans heads amd

skin, tail still intact. These little babies glistened with a firmness not like

the others, gloriously naked....

The counterman deftly removed a fillet from either side, portioned it into eight

or so pieces, and handed it to us to try, on a cracker, with a little garnish of

sweet, pickled onion... I loved the counterman, I loved the treat, I loved

life...I expressed this new-found love vocally; I didn't care that people turned

and stared....

Turns out these are North Bay Herring, and they are basically raw; flash-frozen

as required by law, then ever so lightly salted.No marinade, no pickling brine.

There was none of the chewy texture (not that that's a bad thing!) we associate

with pickled herring; the flesh melted on your tongue like the fattiest sashimi.

There was none of the pungent sweetness (not that that's a bad thing!) we

associate with pickled herring; there was only the lightest sweetness from the

freshest of flesh, hardly salted at all, not the strong flavor I associate with

herring..If Jewel Bako, or any of my favorite sushi joints put this in front of

me, I'd be thrilled at the experience....And as Mr.Russ,(sorry, forgot his first

name) current scion of said fishy family said, it *is* sashimi grade. A loosely

used term these days, but totally appropriate here.

As he also said, as a fly-fisherman, he doesn't tell anyone about the spots

where they're biting....As a hound, I have to tell you, they're biting at Russ

and Daughters...These plump piscine treats are $2.99 a pop...They'll have'm for

at least the next month...Get ye down there, and tell me if I'm, wrong...

P.S. I changed my mind, this is what I'm bringing to the Chow-Social. But

really, you'll kick yourself if you wait that long...

[Guest guest]

- (Or should I call you Ms. ? <g>)

>Saw this post on Chowhound.com and had to share it with you. No, I still

>don't like herring, but since you love it AND you love Russ & Daughters, I

>couldn't resist.

Thanks! Alas, I wish the timeline had worked out slightly differently, as

I just went to Russ & Daughters for the second time yesterday. (I'd go

there every day if their fish weren't so expensive. Hell, I'd go there

everyday if they were more conveniently located, so I guess I have to be

grateful they're not.)

I did get some salt-cured herring, but it sounds like the stuff described

in this article is much better. The herring I got has a very strong fishy

taste and is very oily, unlike regular pickled herring (which I also got a

little of, much to my chagrin, even though it's some of the most delicious

stuff on earth). It's not bad or anything, but it doesn't really satisfy a

pickled herring craving.

Oh well, I'll just have to go back soon. What a burden. <g>

(So you didn't like R & D's regular salt-and-sugar-brined pickled

herring? That's pretty much the best of its type I've ever tasted, so I

guess if you didn't like it you probably won't find any you do like. Do

you like un-cured herring? That's actually what the Chowhound stuff sounds

like, so maybe it's worth a shot for you too. BTW, if you're a lox fan,

try their wild Baltic smoked salmon. It's made from wild salmon, and it

has an unusual color because the salmon mainly feed on... drum roll

please... yes... you guessed it... HERRING! But don't worry, it doesn't

taste like herring, just like some of the most sublime salmon you're likely

to find. Too bad it's only affordable in 0.0000005-ounce doses.)

-

[Guest guest]

,

Yes, I've had the Baltic lox and love it. Actually, to tell the truth, I

couldn't get the nerve up to eat R & D pickled herring on Passover--it smelled

pretty strong (though I love most " strong " things like curry, kimchi, stinky

cheese, etc, strong FISH (xcept for lox) is a harder sell). I guess my memory

of " smelling " it registered as " eating " it in my brain....I'll have to try

again...like liver...have some lamb liver in the fridge that I can't quite eat

yet. I don't think I've ever eaten herring, pickled or otherwise. Tell me next

time you go to R & D and maybe I'll meet you there...unless, of course, you'd like

to retain your anonymity (still waiting to see you at Sophia's milk club one of

these days...) Oh, by the by, my coop just started selling some

promising-looking eggs--I haven't tried them yet, but they are " homey " looking

in that the label is clearly homemade and all the eggs are of different sizes--I

think they are from a farm upstate. I'll find out who the supplier is next time

I'm there and send you the info.

And no, you don't need to call me Ms. (or Mrs. soon enough!!!!)--I just

like your surname!

[Guest guest]

-

>Yes, I've had the Baltic lox and love it.

It's great, isn't it? Offhand I think I've only ever had better lox once,

at a party somewhere downtown back in the glory days of the dotcom

boom. My girlfriend and I skipped all the reveling and ate lots of salmon

and drank lots of akvavit, which they'd put out in giant bottles frozen

into even more gargantuan blocks of ice. (Well, I drank lots of akvavit,

which was extremely good as long as it was ice-cold and which went

marvelously well with the salmon; Binky only drank a little.) I also

learned a rather interesting thing at that party: grapes are delicious with

dill.

>I'll have to try again...like liver...have some lamb liver in the fridge

>that I can't quite eat yet.

Oh! Pickled herring is in no way a chore like liver. I'm not saying it'll

necessarily be to your taste, but you've at least got to try it, and

they'll give you a little piece to taste for free at R & D.

>Tell me next time you go to R & D and maybe I'll meet you there...unless, of

>course, you'd like to retain your anonymity (still waiting to see you at

>Sophia's milk club one of these days...)

No, I have no special need for anonymity. (Privacy, yes, but that's a very

different thing.) I just haven't gone to the milk club because I get mine

direct. Anyway, now that I've heard about that North Bay herring, I expect

I'll be going back to R & D sometime early next week, so I'll try to remember

to drop you an email. (I'd go sooner, but unfortunately I have an enormous

amount of plumbing to do starting tomorrow.)

>I think they are from a farm upstate. I'll find out who the supplier is

> next time I'm there and ! send you the info.

I'd appreciate that! My previous farm source for eggs basically dried up

for the summer (are you still getting any via the milk club?) so I'm back

to Country Hen, which taste even worse now that I've had farm fresh. I've

got to remember to check with that other farm I told you about a few months

ago which might be able to supply eggs, but I don't know how their hens are

laying.

>And no, you don't need to call me Ms. (or Mrs. soon enough!!!!)--I

>just like your surname!

Ironically enough, while it is a good one, my last name has given me a lot

of grief over the years, which actually just made me more stubborn about

it. I was supposed to be adopted once, and I refused because it would've

meant changing my name. <g>

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