Braised Baltic Herring with Onion and Carrot in a Pan

The order here is the reverse of the usual one: the vegetable sauce is cooked through first, and only then is the fish put into it. Baltic herring is small, ten minutes is enough for it, while the carrot and onion need twice as long — put in together, they give you either raw carrot or fish broken down into fibers.

That is why the herring isn't stirred into the sauté but laid on top and pressed slightly into the sauce. This way the carcasses heat through in steam and their own juices and stay whole: Baltic herring stirred with a spatula turns into mince in those same ten minutes.

The sugar in the tomato sauce isn't there for sweetness. Half a cup of water with tomato sauce gives a sharp acidity, and a pinch of sugar balances it out; without it the sauce drowns out the taste of the fish itself.

Ten minutes in sauce is what keeps the fish soft; the same Baltic herring taken to a crust instead is Baltic herring fried in flour. The same carrot, onion and tomato served cold, two hours after the oven, is cod under a marinade of onion and carrot.

Caloric content: 134kcal

Notes

• The backbones are taken out and the heads cut off. In braised fish the backbone doesn't soften — unlike in canned fish, there aren't hours for it here.
• Grate the carrot coarsely. A fine grater gives a mush that dissolves in the sauce and stops being noticeable.
• The seasonings go into the sauté, not onto the fish. In ten minutes on the carcasses they won't open up.
• Take the bay leaf out when serving. It has time to give up its aroma, and after that it starts turning bitter.
• Low heat. On high heat the sauce evaporates before the fish heats through.
• Serve with potatoes. There is more sauce in this dish than the fish itself needs, and it is meant for a side dish.

Questions and Answers

Why is the fish put onto the finished sauté instead of being braised together with it?

Ten minutes is enough for Baltic herring, while the carrot and onion need twice as long. Put in together, they give you either raw carrot or fish broken down into fibers.

Can the Baltic herring be stirred in the sauce?

No. The carcasses are laid on top and pressed in slightly — that way they heat through in steam and their own juices and stay whole. Baltic herring stirred with a spatula turns into mince in those same ten minutes.

What is the sugar in the tomato sauce for?

Half a cup of water with tomato sauce gives a sharp acidity, and a pinch of sugar balances it out. Without it the sauce drowns out the taste of the fish itself.

Do the backbones have to be removed?

Yes. In braised fish the backbone doesn't soften — unlike in canned fish, there aren't hours for it here.

Recipe and step-by-step photos — kolizhanka.net.ua.