Exploding fish
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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!
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!)
Oh goodness...I can only assume this was a big job cleaning it up...Thankfully Barry had it almost all clean by the time you saw it. I've not ever had pickled fish of any kind..I know it is probably healthy for you, but I must pass. What did you choose for dinner?
ReplyDeleteI suppose pickled fish is an acquired taste. We had feta cheese with our salad.
DeletePickled herring is pretty wonderful- I used to get it from the Norwegian shop here, But they are gone and have been for years. I should just go to Norway...
ReplyDeleteThose tiny bits of glass will be there forever and find there way into your bare feet, Voice of experience!
I love that you exercise while waiting for the kettle to boil.
Have to do something to pass the time. Sometimes, it's emptying the dishwasher.
DeleteWe used to live near the Yorkshire coast, where you could buy herring straight off the boats. My mom made great rollmop, dozens of them, gone in a big family in no time. She never bought fish that had been out of the sea more than a day at most. Mackerel, too. Best when fresh. And as you point out, cheap then, not now.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed when I saw the price of tiny little jars of pickled herring.
We eat mackerel if we've caught it while sailing, and it's cooked immediately, otherwise it tastes muddy.
DeleteLucky the dogs obeyed and the cats didn't care!
ReplyDeletePhew!
DeleteUse wet newspaper to wipe the floors where you see the glass slivers, use a torch and look in al directions to find them, then throw away the wet newspapers, or wet paper towel if that's what you have. Was the jar of fish stored near the front of the shelf? I always place jars on the bottom shelf and towards the back.
ReplyDeleteGood advice! It has to be kitchen towel - we haven't had newspapers for years.
DeleteThe fridge was quite full, so the jar was on the top shelf, quite near the front.
This humorous and vivid account of a kitchen mishap centers around a jar of pickled fish that exploded upon falling from the fridge. The dramatic scene left glass shards scattered and a lingering vinegar scent, while pets reacted in contrasting ways. The author reflects on the spread of glass like seeds, musing whimsically about growing jars or returning to home pickling.
ReplyDeleteThe tone is witty and observational, blending domestic chaos with imaginative tangents in a wonderfully engaging style.
Thank you.
DeleteGood job you have well behaved dogs. Have not heard the expression bread and pullet for many years, brought back memories of my Nan.
ReplyDeleteI usually have to explain the phrase!
DeleteOh wow! Shower was probably the best place for you while all that was going on. I love pickled herrings and buy them from time to time, but I've never heard of them exploding.
ReplyDeleteMy mother (born and brought up by the sea like Boud, but in Holland) only bought mackerel if it was very, very fresh. Boat to pan in hours.
Do you think that comment above, time stamped 5.24 and like a teacher's summary, could be a bot? Apologies if they are a real person.
My mother used to tell me that the fishmonger regularly brought round a basket of a great variety of freshly-caught fish. She lived in Southsea.
DeleteThe commenter you referred to is Indonesian. I do sometimes wonder if some people use AI to compose their comments
Bread and pullet brings back memories!
ReplyDeleteWiping up glass slivers is a nightmare. It can be weeks later when I catch sight of one winking at me, yards from where the original explosion occurred.
No matter how careful you are, there are always some escapees!
DeleteIn our house it was 'bread and if it', being if it's there we can have it. Both the glass and vinegar are evil when it comes to cleaning, one hides and the other smells.
ReplyDeleteI like 'bread and if it.' 🤣
DeleteI remember an occasional few nights of buttered bread with brown sugar, usually right before Dad's payday if there wasn't any soup available.
DeleteI can imagine the mess. Once the tiles are dry I go over them with the vaccum cleaner but small glass shards go literally everywhere. I vaccum in corners and far and wide so none of it gets into dog paws.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nightmare.
DeleteSorry if I laughed, but with my blooming fantasy I imagine the explosion the herring marinated with dill flying through the air (BTW I like them) and the glass that had jumped out of the fridge. It's a pity that you couldn't attend this performance !
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I didn't! Not being there, I didn't have to clean up 🤣😂
DeleteI had eggs exploding in the micro wave, that's nice too !
ReplyDeleteThat's a horrible job to clean up, too.
DeleteToo bad the jar crashed and burned, broke haha. I've never heard of fermented fish. So I can honestly say I don't think I would try eating it. And no fish is no longer an inexpensive meal. Cheaper to buy a steak.
ReplyDeleteWho would ever have thought that meat would be cheaper than fish?
DeleteI'm all for a little excitement but exploding jars is not on the list of things to try. I hate trying to pick up broken glass and I always worry that the dog is going to step on a stray shard.
ReplyDeleteThat is a worry, always.
DeleteEek, broken glass, and those elusive shards that turn up weeks later!
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Almost as bad as Christmas tree needles!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that the clean up was completed within your shower time, although as you said you're still finding shards.
ReplyDeleteWhen he gets going, he's very efficient! 😎
DeleteI could almost hear the “explosion” and imagine the dogs’ excitement. That pickled fish disaster was bad!
ReplyDelete(My latest post: Day 8 - Shani Shingnapur and Shirdi)
It was!
DeleteI don’t think I would miss that meal too very much. 🤓
ReplyDeleteI really like pickled fish - well, pickles of most sorts, really.
DeleteGood thing you have a Quicker-Picker-Upper.
ReplyDeleteHe surpassed himself! 😎
DeleteOh my! Clearing and wiping up glass slivers can be a nightmare, no definitely a nightmare!! No doubt you will be seeing these slivers cheekily winking at you for a few weeks yet! I find a torch shone on the floor can help.
ReplyDeleteThankfully the dogs and cats were okay and did not have any slivers caught in their paws.
Whatever next!?
Do take care.
All the best Jan
I can only imagine the cleaning job involved. Broken glass definitely gets everywhere. We had a glass domed cheese platter drop on our kitchen floor and kept finding tiny hidden pieces years later! xxx
ReplyDeleteFor a while, you decide not to have anything glass in the kitchen ever again. The decision doesn't hold for long!
DeleteI dropped a big jar of dill pickles one time in the kitchen and I swear the scent of pickles lingered in there for days even though I mopped the floor twice.
ReplyDeleteYes, the smell does hang, rather!
DeleteDefinitely a reminder that sometimes it’s safer and simpler to stick with fresh ingredients than to trust mysterious jars lurking in the fridge
ReplyDelete. . . or at least, avoid glass containers!
DeleteMy Dad LOVED pickled herring; whenever he visited, he would bring a pail of it? I like it too, but not a pial, haha.
ReplyDeleteOnce, I opened the fridge door and a watermelon fell out, bounced once, then split on the kitchen floor. I can still visualize this suprise, ha.
It's one of those things that you can't quite believe and wish you could have captured on video!
DeleteYikes what a mess. I am not a fan of pickled fish lol. I love your description of the dogs and the mess and the blue air
ReplyDeleteAt least it meant the kitchen floor was thoroughly washed, so not all bad!
DeleteThat sounds like a nightmare. So lucky that the pets stayed away from the glass!
ReplyDeleteThey're quite responsive to a screamed command!!
DeleteMy goodness! I don't envy clearing that little lot up nor the tiny glass shards that might linger for a while. I hope your feet and the animals paws won't have too close an encounter.
ReplyDeleteI just vacuumed up a couple more little splinters in out-of-the-way places, where feet and paws don't go.
Delete