Herring is not just for bait!

I'll be having dinner alone today. I'll use today to make a very healthy dish that most people don't like, or more correct, think they don't like. You should give it a try!

It has been a belief among people that the oceans are so large that we are unable to empty them, but later management and science has proven this conviction to be wrong. Many resources are depleted, and marine fisheries also have to follow strict management rules. It is with great sadness that I have discovered that many outstanding fish species are over-harvested. We need to be careful about what species we eat and harvest. The population of cod, halibut, munkfish among others are seriously in trouble, and they should be harvested with great care (see  panda.org for more information). Also the North Sea herring population has been in trouble in the sixties, but the population is doing great now!

Another good argument for eating herring is found in public health guidelines. We should eat more fat fish, and herring is indeed a fat fish. It is also low in the trophic pyramid, meaning that the level of bioaccumulation is low. This means that the amount of environmental contaminants is sparse. One should also remember that the chances of getting complications from environmental contaminants is extremely low compared to the health benefit from eating fat fish. As the prevalence for complications by eating fat fish is calculated in parts pr thousand or lower (especially from fish low in the trophic pyramid), the health benefits are absolute. Everyone will benefit from eating fat fish! Bottom line is: eat more herring, it's a waste to use it as bait!

Todays dinner is also a very simple one.
One baked red onion. Make a cross in the top of the onion and squeeze some limejuice, butter and thyme into the cross. Bake at 180C for 45 minutes. You might also just use the onion raw.
Two cooked potatoes.

Two salted and spicy herring fillets (raw, just soak them in water for some hours if they're too salty)

Some sour cream
Some more butter for the potatoes (of course, there is only one thing that is better than butter, see post on the Hell Bay Forest Bread)
Some pickled beetroots

Serve on a dish.
It is really good, and this recipe serves one hungry guy.
Enjoy!

- Lars-