the little BIG explorers

Walking near Amsterdam central station we noticed a couple of street food vans by the canal. They were selling Herring, lightly salted and kept in brine, but essentially raw which has apparently been a Dutch tradition for over 600 years. 

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive to try this at first, but remembering how pleasantly surprised by pickled herring I had been in the past, I thought I should give it a go. I went for what I was told is the traditional Amsterdam serve of sliced herring with chopped raw onion and pickles for 3.50. It tasted amazing, the herring was beautifully fresh and smooth, and the onions gave it a great texture – both raw ingredients working so well together. Supposedly the traditional way to eat herring is to hold the tail, dip it in onions and letting it slide into your mouth. However the Amsterdam serve of sliced fish with a toothpick to eat is probably the best way for a first timer to try it out!