Potted Herring by Molly Dunlop

Here is my mother's recipe for Potted Herring. It also works well with trout.

6 fresh herring fillets [Very fresh. Substitute trout if it's easier to get]
Handful fresh parsley
Bay leaf
12 black peppercorns
1 small or 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
Malt or cider vinegar
Water
2-3 teaspoons brown sugar

Heat oven to 325 F. Cut each fillet lengthwise to give twelve strips of fish. Sprinkle inside (non-skin side) with parsley and a little salt. Roll the strips up (skin outside) and pack the rolls side-by-side, on end in a deepish baking dish (I use a glass souffle dish). Place one peppercorn in the centre of each roll. Break up the bay leaf and scatter it and the onion pieces over the dish. Prepare a 50:50 mixture of vinegar and water (about a cup) and dissolve the sugar in it. Pour the mixture around the fish in the baking dish; top up with additional mixture if necessary to almost but not quite cover the fish. Sink any floating bits of onion. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the fish is fully cooked. Cool uncovered.

Serve cold with salad and buttered whole wheat bread.