I recently finished up reading My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss. Excellent book peppered with recipes. The book is about her life, growing up in Berlin, Germany with an American father and an Italian mother. At a young age her parents split and her time was spent between Boston, NYC, Italy and Germany. There's a bit of a love story and all the recipes that she cooked during different trials and tribulations. I have never been very keen on Italian cooking but have sparked a new interest after reading this book. I can't wait to try out these recipes.
In one of the chapters Luisa describes one of the treats she ate growing up with her Dad and Jewish grandparents. PICKLED HERRING. I have never had it and was a bit scared to try it. Fish in onions and cream sauce, ewwww! But there is the other version in a more vinegar based sauce with onions and peppers. BINGO, right up my alley. I checked out a couple of grocery stores but only found pickled herring in cream sauce.
I wasn't feeling that brave. While driving around North East Philadelphia I popped into Bells Market. It's a Russian supermarket with really cheap produce, incredible pickles and foreign foods that look delicious but I have no idea what they are. I figured pickled herring might be lurking in this store. I was right, there was more than one type to choose from, a vast selection of fish goodies but I settled on one that was cheapest and pretties bottle. I also grabbed my favorite half sour pickles and kornishons. Once I got home I could't wait to dig into them. I love things with a vinegar vibe and I like fish too, how could I be disapointed? Pickled herring wasn't 100% what I thought it would be. It had the texture and slight taste of tuna but not a strong vinegar flavor. More like a slightly sweet pickled flavor. It wasn't the worst but it wasn't the best. After some suggestions I think I will eat this on top of bagel and cream cheese. At least I have the pickles to keep me occupied.
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