several changes of water Perhaps the bestknown preparation is the Provenỗal brandade, a paste made by pounding the shredded poached fish along with olive oil, milk, garlic, and sometimes potato Salt Herring Herring and their relatives may be up to 20% fat by weight, and are therefore susceptible to becoming rancid when exposed to the air Medieval fishermen solved this problem by barreling the fish in brine, where they would keep for as much as a year Then sometime around 1300, the Dutch and northern Germans developed a quick gutting technique that left in place a portion of the intestine rich in digestive enzymes (the pyloric caecum) During one to four months of curing in a moderate brine (16–20% salt), these enzymes circulate and supplement the activity of both muscle and skin enzymes, breaking down proteins to create a tender, luscious texture and a wonderfully complex flavor, at once fishy, meaty, and cheesy Such herring are eaten as is, without desalting or cooking Two particularly prized types of cured herring are the lightly salted Dutch groen and maatjes, or “green” and “maiden” herring, which traditionally broke the winter-long diet of hard-cured beef and fish Because all lightly cured fish must now be prefrozen to rid them of parasites (p 186), these formerly seasonal delicacies are now made and enjoyed year-round Cured Anchovies Anchovies, smaller and more southerly relatives of the herring, are cured in and around the Mediterranean to make that region’s version of flavorenhancing fish sauce (see box, p 235) The fish are headed and gutted, then layered with enough salt to saturate their tissue This mass is then weighted down and held for six to ten months at a relatively high temperature, ... maatjes, or “green” and “maiden” herring, which traditionally broke the winter-long diet of hard-cured beef and fish Because all lightly cured fish must now be prefrozen to rid them of parasites (p 186), these formerly... that region’s version of flavorenhancing fish sauce (see box, p 235) The fish are headed and gutted, then layered with enough salt to saturate their tissue This mass is then weighted down and held for six to ten... 186), these formerly seasonal delicacies are now made and enjoyed year-round Cured Anchovies Anchovies, smaller and more southerly relatives of the herring, are cured in and around the Mediterranean