How do I get the backbone out without ruining the herring?

Clean the herring, slit the belly and remove the head. Hold the herring in your left hand and grip the backbone with your right thumb and forefinger. Push the flesh from the bone, and the herring stays whole. Then remove all the rib bones.

What do I bread the herring in?

The herring is folded back together as whole, the skin is given a couple of small cuts, and it is turned in beaten egg and sifted rusk crumbs. Fried light brown in butter (about 80 g for 12 herring).

How is the herring biff plated?

Set the herring on the serving platter and lay strips of rather thin slices of small green cucumbers on each herring.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 117. It makes 6 servings with 12 large, fresh herring, and takes around 55 minutes in all.

Herring "Biff"

Name: Herring "Biff"
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 12 pcs fresh herring (large); 1 tbsp salt; 1 tsp pepper; 2 pcs eggs (beaten); 2 dl rusk crumbs (sifted, or breadcrumbs); 2 pcs small green cucumbers (for garnish); 80 g butter (for frying)

Herring biff from Erken 1914, a refined take on fried herring: fresh herring is boned while whole, seasoned, breaded in egg and rusk crumbs and fried light brown in butter; garnished with thin cucumber slices.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 117 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

"Sildebif" is Erken's finer version of fried herring: the herring is carefully boned so it holds its shape, breaded and fried like a little steak. Garnished with thin cucumber slices, it became respectable enough for the Sunday table.

How to make it

1
Clean the herring
Clean the herring, slit the belly and cut off the head. Wash the herring well.
2
Remove the backbone
Hold the herring in your left hand and grip the backbone with your right thumb and forefinger. Push the flesh from the bone so the herring stays whole, and remove all the rib bones.
3
Bread
Fold the herring back together as whole, season with salt and pepper and make a couple of small cuts in the skin. Turn the fish in beaten egg and then in sifted rusk crumbs.
4
Fry
Fry the herring light brown in butter over medium heat, a few minutes on each side.
5
Serve
Set the herring on a serving platter and lay strips of very thin cucumber slices over each herring.

Changes from the original

Measures converted to modern units; "rusk" replaced with dry rusk crumbs/breadcrumbs. The amounts of egg and rusk crumbs are estimated, as the original does not give them.

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Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 117)~85% of the text changedremovedadded

12 ~~stk fersk~~ store, ferske sild ~~(store).~~ 1 ~~ss salt.~~ spiseske salt 1 ~~ts pepper. 2 stk~~ teske pepper egg ~~(vispet). 2 dl kavringmel (siktet, evt. griljermel). 2 stk små~~ kavring smaa grønne agurker ~~(til pynt).~~ 80 ~~g smør (til steking). Rens silden, skjær opp buken og skjær av hodet. Vask silden godt.. Hold silden~~ gr. smør. Silden renses, skjæres op i ~~venstre hånd~~ buken, hodet skjæres av. Silden vaskes godt og ~~ta tak~~ rygbenet uttages. Dette gjøres paa følgende maate: Silden holdes i ~~ryggbeinet~~ venstre haand, med ~~høyre hånds~~ høire haands tommel og ~~pekefinger. Skubb kjøttet fra beinet så~~ pekefinger holder man rygbenet. Kjøttet skubbes fra, og silden forblir ~~hel, og fjern~~ fuldstændig hel. Fjern alle ~~ribbein.. Legg silden~~ ribben. Silden lægges sammen som ~~hel, krydre med salt og pepper og gjør~~ hel; skindet gives et par ~~små innsnitt i skinnet. Vend~~ smaa indsnit, hvorefter fisken vendes i vispet egg og ~~deretter i siktet kavringmel.. Stek silden~~ sigtet kavring og stekes lysebrun i ~~smør på middels varme, noen minutter på~~ smør. Paa hver ~~side.. Legg silden opp på anretningsfat og legg~~ sild lægges, naar den er lagt op paa anretningsfatet, striper av ~~helt tynne agurkskiver over hver sild.~~ ganske tynde skiver agurk.

Note on Modernised

Mål omregnet til moderne enheter; «kavring» erstattet med tørt kavringmel/griljermel. Mengder på egg og kavring anslått, da originalen ikke oppgir dem.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I get the backbone out without ruining the herring?: Clean the herring, slit the belly and remove the head. Hold the herring in your left hand and grip the backbone with your right thumb and forefinger. Push the flesh from the bone, and the herring stays whole. Then remove all the rib bones.
What do I bread the herring in?: The herring is folded back together as whole, the skin is given a couple of small cuts, and it is turned in beaten egg and sifted rusk crumbs. Fried light brown in butter (about 80 g for 12 herring).
How is the herring biff plated?: Set the herring on the serving platter and lay strips of rather thin slices of small green cucumbers on each herring.
Where does the recipe come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 117. It makes 6 servings with 12 large, fresh herring, and takes around 55 minutes in all.

Equipment for this dish

Stand mixer →Erken kneaded and whisked by hand for ages – a stand mixer does the work for you.Engrospris.no

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