Silver Darlings

Soft herring roe on sourdough toast

For my readers that haven't experienced the delights of herring roes on home baked sourdough toast, get yourself to a fishmongers right now and purchase either fresh or frozen soft herring roes.  We obtained our roes from the 'World of Fish' and Toot made the bread for the toast.


Technically, soft herring roe should be referred to as 'Milts' and is often labelled as such in fishmongers and supermarkets.  'Roe' are the female eggs, which are granular and 'hard' whereas 'Milts' are male sperm and 'soft'.  To my mind and taste, 'Milts' or 'soft herring roe are the best to eat on toast.





Cooking the 'soft roe' could not be easier, wash the roe in running water, pat dry with kitchen towel, roll in seasoned plain (general purpose) flour, heat some butter in a frying pan and shallow fry until they curl up and are just golden. Serve on hot buttered toast with a little chopped parsley and lemon juice (also nice with a sprinkling of Tabasco sauce).


For some unknown reason herrings and herring roes remain remarkably inexpensive.  They taste fantastic and are extremely good for you.


Toot and I live ten miles from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk which, in the early 1900s, was the centre of Great Britain's herring fishing industry.  It was said that in those days, the estuary was so crowded with steam drifters, that you could walk across the River Yare, passing from one boat to another.  Our home town of Lowestoft was home to a similar large fishing fleet.  Lowestoft still boasts a number of smoke-houses where herrings are cured, smoked and transformed into kippers.

The Lydia Eva. Last Steam Drifter on the River Yare at Great Yarmouth

Norfolk Fishermen called the herrings -  'The Silver Darlings' as they were the backbone of the local economy.


The Lydia Eva is the last surviving steam drifter from the days of the herring fleets that worked out of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Harbours.  She was recently refurbished in Lowestoft and is now a floating museum.

A kipper
An integral part of the Great British Breakfast.
A split, gutted, brined and cold smoked herring.

Credits: Wikipedia