A Herring Tasting For The New Year

Okay, so you can't afford caviar, or you don't like it (are you sure?). Here's a great New Year's alternative. Have a herring tasting. Seattle is home to many ethnic groups from countries around the Baltic Sea where herring is a delicacy. See how many different kinds of herring you can find in Seattle. Of course, you can buy various preparations of jarred herring such as Lasco or Vita brands at almost any supermarket, but the real fun comes from hunting down artisanal herring. You could start with Scandinavian Herring from Poulsbo, or herring from Russia or Holland. We had the good fortune to taste Daryl's homemade Swedish herring which is superb.

Hint: For Russian herring, check out the European Grocery on Aurora at 135th, just behind Blockbuster, or try University Seafood and Poultry for Scandinavian style.

To flesh out your silvery feast, you could add Sprats from Latvia, cold or hot smoked salmon, smoked trout, smoked sturgeon, smoked whitefish, Olympia or Quilcene Oysters, Carr's biscuits or dark rye as vehicles to convey your delicacies to your taste buds and ice cold spirits to wash it down. No wine with this feast! Try Norwegian Linie Aquaavit, Dutch Bols Ginever, or Stolychnaya from Russia.

Happy New Year!