German Rollmops (rollmopse)

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 12 salt herring fillets, preferably matjes herring
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 2 cups cold water
• 3 juniper berries (bruised)
• 3 whole allspice (bruised)
• 3 whole cloves (bruised)
• 6 whole black peppercorns (bruised)
• 1 small bay leaf (bruised)
• 1/4 cup dusseldorf-style prepared mustard or 1/4 cup substitute other prepared hot mustard
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 3 medium onions, peeled,thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 3 large dill pickles
• parsley sprig

Recipe

• 1 place the herring fillets in a bowl and pour in enough water to cover them by about 1 inch.
• 2 soak them for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator, changing the water once or twice.
• 3 drain them well, rinse under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels.
• 4 remove and discard any bones.
• 5 for the marinade, combine the vinegar, water, bruised with a mortar and pestle or wrapped in a towel and bruised with a rolling pin the spices, juniper berries, allspice, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf and place in a 2 to 3 quart saucepan and bring them to a boil over high heat.
• 6 reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
• 7 then cool to room temperature.
• 8 lay the herring fillets, skin side down, on a board or table.
• 9 spread 1 teaspoon of mustard evenly on each fillet and scatter 1/2 teaspoon of capers and several onion rings over the mustard.
• 10 cut the dill pickles lengthwise into quarters; if they are much longer than the width of the herring fillets, cut them crosswise into halves.
• 11 place a wedge of pickle at one narrow end of each of the fillets, and then roll the fillets jelly roll fashion around the pickle into small, thick cylinders.
• 12 skewer the rolls with 2 or 3 toothpicks to secure them.
• 13 pack the rolls flat on their sides in a 2-quart glass loaf dish in two layers with the remaining onion rings scattered between the layers and over the top.
• 14 (do not use a metal pan, for the fish may pick up a metallic flavor.) pour the marinade over the herring, then cover the dish with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5 to 6 days before serving.
• 15 serve the rollmops as an hors d'oeuvre on individual plates or arrange them on a platter.
• 16 in either case, garnish them with onion rings and parsley.
• 17 note: if salt herring fillets are not available, substitute 12 bottled bismarck herring fillets.
• 18 drain them, wash them thoroughly under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
• 19 then proceed with the recipe.
• 20 the cooking of germany time life.