Fischbrötchen
Fischbrötchen: North Sea herring roll with onion and gherkin, Hamburg harbour style
Fischbrötchen are what people eat standing up at the Landungsbrücken piers in Hamburg, on the Sunday fish market, or from a kiosk on the dyke at any North Sea harbour. A crusty white roll is filled with sharp marinated herring, raw onion rings, gherkin and a little crisp lettuce, and eaten in a few bites with the wind in your face. The herring is cured, not cooked, so use commercially prepared Bismarck-style marinated herring from the chilled counter, which has been frozen before curing as the law requires; it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Chef's tip: slice the onion paper-thin and rinse it in cold water for a minute so it stays crunchy but stops shouting over the fish.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 1 small red or white onionsliced into thin rings
- 2 pickled gherkinsthinly sliced lengthways
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise or remoulade (optional)optional
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Keep the 4 marinated herring fillets (Bismarck herring), chilled in the fridge until the moment you build the rolls. Common mistake: leaving cured fish out on the counter while you prepare everything else; it should go from fridge to roll.
1 minStep 2: Rinse the 1 small red or white onion rings in cold water for 1 minute, then pat dry on kitchen paper.
2 minStep 3: Split the 4 crusty white bread rolls almost all the way through. Spread the base thinly with 2 tbsp mayonnaise or remoulade if you like it, then lay in a 4 crisp lettuce leaves leaf.
2 minStep 4: Fold a herring fillet into each roll, tucking the tail in so it fits the length of the bread. Top with onion rings and slices of 2 pickled gherkins and serve at once.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fischbrötchen take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of small red or white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of crisp lettuce leaves?
- Cabbage leaves or any crisp salad leaves.
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