Baked White Herrings is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of herring baked in a dish with vinegar, bayleaves and spices which are allowed to cool and pickle slightly before serving. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Baked White Herrings.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
268. INGREDIENTS.—12 herrings, 4 bay-leaves, 12 cloves, 12 allspice, 2 small blades of mace, cayenne pepper and salt to taste, sufficient vinegar to fill up the dish.
Mode.—Take the herrings, cut off the heads, and gut them. Put them in a pie-dish, heads and tails alternately, and, between each layer, sprinkle over the above ingredients. Cover the fish with the vinegar, and bake for 1/2 hour, but do not use it till quite cold. The herrings may be cut down the front, the backbone taken out, and closed again. Sprats done in this way are very delicious.
Time.—1/2 an hour.
Average cost, 1d. each.
TO CHOOSE THE HERRING.—The more scales this fish has, the surer the sign of its freshness. It should also have a bright and silvery look; but if red about the head, it is a sign that it has been dead for some time.
Remove the heads of the herring then scale and gut them. Wash and wipe dry then arrange in a baking dish, setting them head to tail. Scatter the bayleaves, cloves, allspice berries and mace between each layer of fish then season with salt and cayenne pepper.
Pour over enough vinegar to cover then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.
