Non-VegetarianEast Anglian cuisine Breakfast

Yarmouth Bloaters Grilled with Butter

Name: Yarmouth Bloaters Grilled with Butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: East Anglian
Ingredients: 4 whole yarmouth bloaters; 60 g salted british butter; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 whole Lemon; 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 tsp Malt vinegar; 4 slices brown bloomer bread; 30 g salted butter

Succulent cold-smoked Norfolk herrings grilled until blistering, then basted in melting butter and served with lemon and thick brown toast.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· East of England

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 410 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

4 whole yarmouth bloaters — cold-smoked whole herring
60 g salted british butter — softened, for topping the fish
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper — coarsely ground
1 whole Lemon — halved, half for juice and half cut into wedges
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley — finely chopped
1 tsp Malt vinegar — for a light splash before grilling
4 slices brown bloomer bread — thickly sliced for toasting
30 g salted butter — for spreading on hot toast

Equipment

•Grill pan
•Sharp chef knife
•Fish slice
•Kitchen paper
•Aluminium foil

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 410 kcal
fat: 24 g
carbs: 22 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 28 g
calories: 410 kcal

Instructions

1
Preheat the overhead oven grill to high and line a grill pan with aluminium foil.
2
Cut off the head and tail fin of each bloater with a sharp knife.
3
Slit each bloater down the belly from throat to tail to butterfly (open flat) the fish.
4
Scrape away the dark stomach lining, leaving any rich roe inside if desired.
5
Wipe the fish dry inside and out using kitchen paper.
6
Place the butterflied bloaters skin-side up onto the foil-lined grill pan.
7
Grill for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin bubbles and turns crisp.
8
Turn the fish over carefully onto the skin using a wide fish slice.
9
Dot the softened butter evenly across the flesh and season with black pepper.
10
Grill for another 3 to 4 minutes until the butter sizzles and the flesh flakes easily.
11
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the sizzling fish and scatter with chopped parsley.
12
Serve immediately alongside thick slices of hot buttered brown toast and lemon wedges.

Chef's tips

Handle the butterflied fish gently as cold-smoked herring flesh is delicate. Bloaters have fine bones; to eat them easily, lift the central backbone out in one piece from head to tail before tucking in. If using un-gutted bloaters, retaining the creamy soft roes (milts) or hard roes provides authentic historical flavour.

Ingredient substitutions

Yarmouth bloaters → Manx kippers or whole cold-smoked mackerel
brown bloomer bread → crusty white sourdough or gluten-free seeded bread

Storage

Store leftover cooked bloater meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 2 minutes or flake cold into salads.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Washing the fish under running water, which ruins the delicate cold-smoke cure.
•Overcooking under the grill, which dries out the natural oily richness of the herring.
•Throwing away the delicious buttery cooking juices left in the grill pan.

Serving suggestions

Serve with a pot of strong English breakfast tea and extra buttered brown bread.Accompany with a simple watercress and cucumber salad tossed in cider vinegar.