Exploding fish

 

Exploding fish

Soused herrings

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Quite dramatic, eh? To be precise, it wasn’t the fish that exploded, but the container. As Barry opened the fridge door, the jar of pickled fish was sucked out and crashed to the tiled floor. It went off like a bomb, broadcasting glass shards across the kitchen.

The cats were indifferent, but the dogs were immediately and irrationally excited by the event. Fortunately, they are obedient and ever anxious to please, so they managed to resist the plump sections of herring marinated with dill. I gather the air went a bit blue, but I was in the shower room and didn’t hear anything to sully my ears.

I came downstairs to an atmosphere redolent with vinegar. Most of the glass fragments had been gathered, and the floor washed, but tiny slivers continue to wink at us as we go about the usual tasks. Doing my exercises while waiting for the kettle to boil, I spied shiny splinters hiding on the tiles, the sort that can be seen from one angle, but not another, thus making them almost impossible to pick up.

Like water, or any liquid, glass is dispersed far and wide, as though it’s trying to spread its seed and grow new crops. Just imagine if we could grow our own jars and bottles. I suppose we could, now, in a sense, with 3D printers.

Maybe I should return to making my own soused herrings. The last time I did that was fourteen years ago, but with mackerel rather than herring. Same difference - they're both pickled! 

Mackerel 

 Ready for pickling

Sourcing fresh herrings is not straightforward. A quick look online informs me that I could buy 7kg for £45.00 (plus £6.95 delivery) or ten fillets for £29. 10 at a cost of £6.90 for delivery. Alternatively, I could order one kg for £13.18, plus £19.99 delivery, or one kg for £6.50 with a delivery charge of £10.00 - that would be significantly cheaper. Nonetheless, fish is no longer a cheap meal and hasn’t been for some while.

I don’t think I’ll bother, but I won’t be buying any more jars of pickled fish, either. I wonder if the fish had actually been fermenting, though I had bought it recently and stored it in the fridge immediately after unpacking. The ‘use by’ date was some long way in the future, so it should have been all right.

Now, I have to think of something else to go with our evening salad. I’m sure I’ll manage, but if all else fails we could always have bread and pullet (pull-it is an old family joke!)