The "madness" I've mentioned in my previous post continues and this time we visited a town we previously planned to visit, but had to postpone for several reasons. Last Sunday we almost cancelled again because of being under the weather the last week(s), but with a little water and a little rest the symptoms got to be managed.
Volendam is an old small fishing village North-East of Amsterdam and famous for its traditional local costumes, small enchanting houses and of course their fish delights.
Knowing that the village is near water, seeing the grey sky and because of my cold, I threw on my warmer coat and couldn't wait to try the famous Dutch herring, as I didn't get the chance to try it out on my previous visit to the Netherlands.
But before purchasing herring at the fish stand, we bought a "family sized" serving of kibbeling (fried white fish). It's served with a mayonnaise based garlic sauce, that was incorporated into the price of the fish (generally sauces have to be paid for individually per package).
The kibbeling was hot out of the frier, soft and delicate, while crunchy on the outside. The fish was fine, but I had better kibbeling though. It could've used more salt or seasoning for my taste. The garlic sauce was also decent. On the other hand was the consistency between batter and fish up to par.
After that we proceeded strolling through the town, that was getting busier by the minute. There were even tour groups and tourists from all over and heard different tongues being spoken, that we tried to guess from which region those were. Some of us even wanted to take a picture in the local traditional clothing.
When we were done sightseeing we went back to the fish stall, that seemed to be busy every time we walked past it and ordered the much awaited herring. One of the reasons - aside from not getting the chance - I hadn't had herring before, was because I used to be squeamish about foods I didn't know and was uninformed about the (ripening) process how herring is prepared.
The herring was tender, buttery and paired well with the diced onions and pickles. The acidity balanced the natural fish oil and the herring melted after every bite. There was no foul odor and there was no hint of a raw taste. After the first round of herring, we bought two more small plates and I jokingly remarked that the fish sellers have seen us coming back every time.
I suppose that it need not be said that trying herring was successful and that I would consume it more often now. What should we try out next? Let me know in the comments below 🤓.
Chasse into the backstage! 💃
Are you interested in sharing your Sunday story and/or interested in partaking in #DashOutSunday? Be sure to read this post for more information. Looking forward to reading all about it 🤓.
