Thanks for the suggestions, Victor. I'll file this away in case I
stumble across Matjes somewhere. :-)

Incidentally, I asked the owner of the main (currently only in fact)
local deli about Matjes today. She had heard of them, but had never
tried them (it's basically an Italian speciality deli). She did have
a couple of bodies on display that may have been those "salted
herring" you refer to -- but I gave them a pass in lieu of a few
slices of a good spicey salami for a lunch sandwich. :-)

In article >,
(Victor Sack) wrote:
>Phred > wrote:
>
>> When you say "right out of the barrel", are you referring to salted
>> fish/fillets?
>
>Yes. It is a young virginal Dutch herring which is lightly salted and
>stored in barrels for a few days only, just enough to ferment the gut
>enzymes (it is only those enzymes that ferment, not the fish itself, as
>would be the case with the Swedish surströmming which many people
>consider just rotten :-). Matjes is still practically raw.
>
>> I notice that the restaurant you mentioned above says:
>>
>> "Matjes Herring fillets - salted herring with chopped onions, spelt
>> bread and salad"
>>
>> Assuming the possibility of finding them here in a deli or similar,
>> what preparation is needed of those "salted herring" fillets before
>> dining on it?
>
>Be sure it is indeed labelled "matjes", not just "salted herring" which
>is different. Matjes fillets need no preparation and can be eaten "as
>is" (it's the same with "salted herring", too). However, most often
>matjes is served with onion rings or chopped onions, and black rye bread
>of the pumpernickel type. You can also add sour cream. Or you can make
>a salad with matjes containing all or any of the following: pickled
>cucumbers, sour apples, boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, boiled, baked
>or pickled beetroots, sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper.
>
>> [Incidentally, that place is flogging plonk at $6/glass, but only
>> around $18/bottle -- enough to make drunks of us all!]
>
>Maybe theirs is very large glass. :-)
>
>Victor

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID