Herring: back on the front line

here's an oily fish that doesn't deserve the contempt in which it's held. It has countless virtues: it contains all the complete proteins you need, it's rich in omega-3s, it helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 100g portion covers the entire daily nutrient intake. What's more, it's easy to cook, and the picture is just about ideal. Above all, it's worth getting to know it better.

Herring are caught from October to January in all cold seas: the North Sea, the Baltic... They belong to the same family as sardines, sprats and shad, the clupeidae, and travel in large schools. It measures between 25 and 40 cm and feeds on plankton, crustaceans and fish. Traces of its existence can be found in ancient texts, but its heyday came in the Middle Ages, when the English dubbed it the king herring. In France, it provided part of the livelihood of the Opal Coast ports, large and small, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Staples-Sur-Mer... Even if today, its importance is lessened.

When it comes to cooking, avoid eating it raw, as a precaution. Steaming is the best way to preserve its nutritional qualities. For those who like it smoked or sautéed, the reference is J.C David in Boulogne-sur-Mer. This company does exceptional work in the traditional way, including rollmops with juniper berries from Wembrechies, and monkfish or cod liver. At J.C David's, herring is sautéed and smoked over beechwood in old-fashioned ovens, after soaking for a long time in salted water. The best bistros in France buy them for their famous herring pommes à l'huile.

Owner of 6 Paul Bert , a popular Parisian bistro in the Bastille backyard in the 11th arrondissement, Bertrand Auboyneau admits he loves herring. He presents it in several ways. In the classic way, with sliced rattes and dill cream underneath, and salmon roe on top, " to give it a little crunch ". He also prepares it in a potato salad, cut into squares, and mixed with whelks, all tied together with an aioli mayonnaise. " Customers love it!

Last but not least, in winter, Bertrand displays a white bean velouté with herring espuma on the slate. At L'Écailler du Bistrot (Paris 11), one of his other establishments, he also offers a herring, cucumber, zucchini and redcurrant salad. He also regularly lists rollmops that he buys, served with large sweet cucumber and horseradish cream.

Peter Thulstrup, a Dane who trained at La Tour d'Argent and Le Crillon, plays the Scandinavian herring card in his chic bistro, La Petite Sirène in Copenhagen (Paris 9). Peter recalls that in the Middle Ages, herring, then from the Baltic, served as both food and a means of payment in Denmark.
In Scandinavia today, we no longer eat herring from the Baltic Sea, which is too polluted, but from Iceland. Once caught, it is put in a barrel of coarse salt for 24 months, to clean it of impurities, then disgorged and desalted. " In Scandinavia, herring is always cooked sweet and sour, in sugar and vinegar," says Peter.

At La Petite Sirène, he receives herring in a more expensive, but tastier, old-fashioned marinade. He works them in the classic way, with curry, but with a yogurt or horseradish base. He reduces the marinade with sugar, salt, vinegar, bay leaves and onions, cools it and finishes with cream and fresh horseradish. For his herring with red beet, the same process for the marinade, to which the chef adds a brunoise of golden. "Herring is in our DNA," says Peter with a broad smile. But herring isn't just celebrated in the Kingdom of Denmark, it's also celebrated in Étaples-sur-Mer every November. It's eaten, grilled, smoked, marinated, in soup... Proof that herring easily rhymes with contentment.

Text: Jean-Louis Galesne