Welsh Foods
Salted Herrings
Nefyn, Gwynedd
Sgadan Hallt – Salted Herrings
Roasting salted herrings was the most acceptable method of cooking them in the counties of south Wales. The general method was to roast them individually in front of an open fire by means of a long toasting fork, but in some districts in Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire they were placed on a special grilling frame known as alch. This iron frame was suspended over an open fire and the herrings, placed across the horizontal bars, were allowed to cook slowly by direct heat. Roasted herrings were served with bread and butter for tea or supper.
Brynhoffnant, Cardiganshire.
In some districts, salted herrings were soaked in cold water for a few days and then hung out to dry before they were ready for cooking. A narrow rod, driven through the eye-sockets of a dozen or so, would be suspended from two nails at a convenient place outside the house so that they dried in the heat from the sun. Alternatively, they were hung inside the house in a large, open chimney.
The Recipe
You will need
- salted herrings
- potatoes in their jackets
Method
- Soak the salted herrings in cold water for three days and three nights to remove excess salt.
- Fill a saucepan with potatoes in their jackets (well washed) and arrange the salted herrings in a layer on top.
- Boil the potatoes, keeping the level of the water below the herrings but allowing them to cook in the steam around them.
Salted herrings were generally served in this way in the counties of north Wales and it made a popular dish for dinner or supper during the winter months.
Nefyn, Lleyn.