Herring Roes on Toast
Tender soft herring roes dusted in seasoned flour, fried in foaming butter, and piled onto hot buttered toast with lemon and parsley.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 340 kcal
Equipment
- •Large frying pan
- •Fish slice
- •Shallow plate
- •Kitchen paper
- •Grill
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 26 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 21 g
- calories
- 340 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the soft herring roes gently under cold running water and pat them thoroughly dry using kitchen paper.
- 2
Mix the plain flour, fine sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together on a wide, shallow plate.
- 3
Gently turn each herring roe through the seasoned flour until lightly dusted, shaking away any excess flour.
- 4
Toast the thick bread slices under a medium grill until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
- 5
Spread the warm toast with a small knob of butter and set onto four heated serving plates.
- 6
Melt the remaining butter with the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium hob heat.
- 7
Place the dusted roes into the foaming butter in a single layer without crowding the pan.
- 8
Fry gently for two to three minutes until the underside turns pale golden and crisp.
- 9
Carefully flip the roes using a fish slice and cook for another two minutes until firm.
- 10
Squeeze juice from half a lemon into the pan and scatter over the chopped fresh parsley.
- 11
Spoon the hot roes and pan butter over the prepared toast and serve straight away.
Chef's tips
Handle soft roes very gently as they are delicate and can break apart easily before cooking. Do not overheat the frying pan, as gentle heat allows the roes to cook through to a velvety custard-like texture without splitting.
Ingredient substitutions
- soft herring roes → frozen soft cod roes (thawed thoroughly)
- plain flour → gluten-free plain flour blend
- unsalted butter → plant-based block butter
Storage
Herring roes on toast must be eaten fresh; cooked roes do not store or keep well.
Reheating
Reheating is not recommended as the roes quickly become rubbery and bitter.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping the drying step, which prevents the seasoned flour from clinging evenly and causes spitting in the pan.
- •Overcooking the roes on high heat, which makes them burst, dry out, and turn grainy rather than creamy.
- •Using flimsy, thin pre-sliced bread that collapses under the weight of the rich butter and hot roes.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Herring Roes on Toast?
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