Recipe: Grilled kippers from The British Cookbook
A classic British dish of grilled kippers, from The British Cookbook by Ben Mervis
Kippered herrings are split and butterflied, salt-brined and then cold-smoked. While great shoals of herring were once common to British waters – and an apparent draw for early Vikings – the kippering process (for herring at least) was only created in the 1840s. First invented by John Woodger of the Northumbrian fishing village Seahouses, there are still distinctive regional cures across the UK that vary in their use of smoke and salt, as well as colouring.
Kippers should be fried or cooked quickly under a hot grill and then served hot with buttered toast, a lemon wedge and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Eat for breakfast or an early lunch.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 40g/3tbs butter
- 4 kippers
To serve
- 1 lemon, quartered
- Pinch of chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Buttered toast or thick brown (whole wheat) bread
Method
Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Put half of the butter into a small saucepan and heat over a low heat for 2 minutes, or until melted, then set aside. Put the remaining butter into the fridge to chill.
Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the kippers, then arrange them, skin-side up, on the lined baking sheet. Grill for 2-3 minutes before flipping them over. Carefully brush the belly of each kipper with 1 teaspoon of the melted butter and grill for another 2-3 minutes, or until the skin crisps.
Serve hot with a small pat of the chilled butter, a lemon wedge, a sprinkle of chopped parsley and buttered toast or brown bread.
You can also follow this recipe for bloaters and buckling, which are respectively cold-smoked whole herring and hot-smoked whole herring, although they will benefit from an extra minute of cooking on both sides.
