Searching for Schmaltz (herring) In all the wrong places...

With the holidays here, I was taken by an urge to make some good chopped herring. I know you can do it with the jarred Vita in wine sauce stuff, and it's not bad, but the real thing requires salt/schmaltz herring as a starting point. Where to get it these days? Maybe one of the Russian places on Devon. That'll probably be my next stop if nobody has another suggestion.

Have you checked Kauffmans? They used ot carry it. Also, I tink I saw some at Fox & Obel a while back.

Farmer's Best in Niles sells whole brined herring from a barrel. I don't know if that will work for you. It's not in schmaltz, but it is better than the jarred stuff. I let them soak overnight in cold water in the fridge to lessen the saltiness.

Farmer's Best Produce
8526 W Golf Rd ( & Milwaukee)
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 965-0260

Treasure Island on Broadway sells schmaltz.

Thanks for the input everyone. Wound up finding some beautiful salt herring fillets (not whole,alas) at Erickson's fish market/deli on Clark st. in Andersonville this afternoon. The woman behind the counter tells me they haven't stocked whole salt herrings for 15 years, and doesn't know of anywhere in the city that still does.

kuhdo wrote:Thanks for the input everyone. Wound up finding some beautiful salt herring fillets (not whole,alas) at Erickson's fish market/deli on Clark st. in Andersonville this afternoon.

Kuhdo,

You might want to keep Eurostyle Deli on Oakton in Skokie in mind for your next schmaltz herring adventure. Eurostyle is an interesting store, many types of house cured and smoked meat, sausage and fish, nice selection of Eastern European beer and wine, dry goods and some prepared foods as well.

Schmaltz Herring


Enjoy,
Gary

Eurostyle Deli
4861 W Oakton
Skokie, IL 60077
708-329-1430

I have heard of a Russian dish called "seledka pod shuboy" which uses schmaltz herring as a base. Does anybody have a recipe for this interesting dish?