Try Herring

“I tasted my first new catch herring on a street in Amsterdam when I was a clueless 19-year-old backpacker on a break from school. “Hold it by the tail and eat the whole thing,” the herring cart man urged me. As if on a dare, I did as I was told. But instead of the fishy over-salted flavor I was expecting, the herring tasted as fresh as the sea and miraculously good.”

“When I returned to Holland in June, this was one of my missions: find raw herring. And happily, I didn't have to look far. As a nation-awaited Dutch delicacy (also signalling the beginning of summer), the Hollandse Nieuwe was being celebrated at every fishmonger in sight. I eagerly ordered a broodje haring (herring sandwich) at the Rotterdam Blaak market and as soon as I bit into it, I was in heaven. The fresh, soft-as-goose-down-bread roll was a delightful backdrop to the raw herring and accompaniment of diced white onions, whose sweetness accentuated the herring's mellow yet rich flavour and texture.”

“Saw these at Aldi and had to try. I’d actually never had herring before so this was a completely new flavor to me. At first it was pretty fishy, but after a few bites the sauce really became the star of the show once it had mixed into the rice a little bit. I’m a fan. 3/5 stars”