Herring in oats (with bacon if you fancy)

A Scottish classic this, and one of my Dad’s favourites, the flavour and texture of the oats mixes beautifully with the oily flesh of the herring, the bacon (if used) adds another dimension with its salty crisp consistency. Herring is a very reasonable priced fish, and really good for you. Their high in healthy Omega- 3 fatty acids, and are a source of Vit D. Serve with bread and butter and a salad.

Serves 2

2 herring, filleted
salt and ground black pepper
100g of medium oatmeal, or if you don’t have good old porridge oats
1 tbsp sunflower oil
4 rashers of streaky bacon (if using) cut into small pieces

Spread the oats onto a plate, season well, then coat both sides of the herring by pressing the fish into the mix. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil then fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and keep warm. Then lay the coated herring into the pan, flesh side down, fry for a minute, then turn over and fry for one or two mins more, or until the oatmeal is golden. Serve straight away with the bacon.

Todays illustration, fish net © Lois Blackburn, please visit www.loisblackburn.co.uk for more examples