As we are in the midst of the Manx national week, there is no better time to revisit a couple of classic dishes that have been passed down through the generations.
If you ask anyone today what they think the Manx national dish is, you may get many different answers.
The most popular answer may well be ’chips, cheese and gravy’, a modern chippy favourite that is equally as greasy and stodgy as it is satisfying and filling.
A recent island-wide vote found that another dish, of pan-fried locally-caught Queenies and bacon, was the most quintessentially-Manx dish.
However, if you go back to as late as the 1970s or 80s, many people would still be able to tuck into a hearty meal made with the most famous of local catches, the herring.
Throughout the 20th century and the centuries before, the island depended on the sea to feed its people and the most popular catch at the time was the herring, a small delicate, oily, tasty and versatile fish that was found in huge numbers in the Manx waters.
While we are all familiar with the Manx kipper, made by smoking cured herring, the over-fishing of this particular species led to a ban on its fishing in Manx waters in the mid-90s and has led to the herring dropping out of the public consciousness over time.
In particular, ’Priddhas and Herring’, better known as ’Spuds and Herring’, is possibly the best-known and ideal example of the simple, essentially peasant food that sustained and fed an entire population through times of scarcity.
Most homes would have had a crock of salt herring, kept by the back door or in the pantry, to fall back on and most housewives at the time would be able to conjure any number of recipes out of them.
These have been taken from ’My Grandmother’s Cookbook’, compiled by Sue Woolley and first published in 1975.
It contains a wealth of ideas and cooking techniques of traditional Manx cookery passed down through the ages.
You can buy herring through fishmongers such as Devereau’s in Peel or Douglas.
These are imported North Sea herring and are of a similar size, taste and oil content to the Manx herring, which Devereau’s use to make their kippers.
Priddhas and Herring
To create this classic Manx dish, you will need around 12 ounces of potatoes and two herring, either salted or fresh, per person, and one onion.
It is an incredibly simple dish to prepare.
If you are using salt herring, you will need to take the salt herrings and soak them overnight in cold, fresh water, to remove the salt.
Firstly, slice the potatoes and parboil them for around five minutes.
There are two methods to cook this dish from this point.
The traditional method is to then place the herring into the boiling water with the potatoes and continue to boil for around 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked.
For the second and slightly more modern method, remove the potatoes from the water and arrange on a shallow baking tray.
Lay the herrings on top of the potatoes and place into an oven, preheated to 180 degrees, again for around 10 minutes, or until the fish and potatoes are cooked.
This is served with knobs of butter melted over the potatoes and thin, fine slices of raw onion on the top and eaten with thick slices of bread and a glass of buttermilk.
A splash of vinegar adds a nice, tangy finish to the meal.
Potted Herring
Take two whole, cleaned herrings per person, making sure the scales have been removed by running a knife along the skin side.
Lay the fish in a pan and cover with water and vinegar, with the mix being roughly five parts water to two parts vinegar.
Add a teaspoon of pickling spice and a couple of bay leaves.
Bring to the boil and simmer until the fish are cooked right through, which should take around to 15 minutes.
Take off the heat and allow to cool overnight.
The pickled fish are best eaten cold with fresh bread and butter and a green salad.