Herring in Oatmeal With Drambuie Butter - butter

Method

• Drambuie Butter:.
• Note: This needs to be prepared ahead as it must chill for at least an hour.
• Soften the butter but don't melt it.
• Beat in the other ingredients and then roll out into a cylinder shape with a diameter of about one inch.
• Wrap in foil/greaseproof paper/vegetable parchment/waxed paper and leave in the refridgerator to harden again.
• Any leftover butter can be put on a tray and frozen and stored in small freezer bags.
• But don't keep them for more than one week.
• The Fish:.
• Depending on how you buy your fish, you may have to de-bone yourself.
• Cut along the underside of the herring, lay it on a table, cut side down and hit across the backbone in a few places with a rolling pin or your hand.
• Remove the backbone and as many of the smaller bones as possible.
• Scrape the scales from the fish with a knife, remove heads and tails.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss them in a plastic bag with plenty of oatmeal.
• Or, if you prefer, put the fish on a plate and coat them with oatmeal - you may have to press the oatmeal into the fish to ensure it is fully covered.
• Fry in meat dripping or cooking oil - put them in with the skin side upwards first.
• Fry until lightly brown, turn and cook the other side.
• It should take 5/7 minutes.
• Drain the fish on paper towels.
• Note: Don't put more than a 1/4" of oil in your pan at a time and keep it at a low heat.
• If you put too much oil in the pan, your oatmeal will just fall off instead of frying nice and crisp.
• And if it's too hot, your run the risk of burning yourself as well as the fish.
• To serve, cut the butter into slices and place two on each fish immediately before serving the cooked herrings.
• Add garnish of cress or lemon according to preference.
• This is good with steamed veggies.