The rolmops is a rolled filleted pickled herring, containing long curled onions. Often pickles are also used, but they are also manufactured without them. The name rolmops is not completely outdated where it comes from. A rollmops is made from herring that has been caught after mid-July and which can no longer be sold as Hollands maatje or Hollandse Nieuwe. A rollmops is easy to make yourself and doesn’t need much preparation.
The name rolmops
Roll and mops
The origin of the name rolmops is not completely outdated. In the word two separate words can be distinguished, namely role and pug. Role probably comes from ‘rolling up’, but it is mainly the second word that is guessing. A pug is a ‘dog with a blunt snout’. A synonym of the rollmops is ‘rolled pickled herring’.
How did the rollmops come about?
Dutch buddy and Dutch new
A popular fish sold in the Netherlands and Belgium is the Dutch mate. This is a type of herring that is mainly caught in the North Sea. The herring lives without food during the winter and will start eating from the approaching spring. This is because herrings love plankton, and the amount of plankton in the sea increases from spring onwards. At that moment, the herring will start to grow more fat due to the much food. They have to eat a lot to have enough strength to produce roes and roes and thus reproduce. This reproduction happens in the summer, but fishermen don’t let it get that far. They will try to catch as many herrings as possible before mid-July, when they are at their fattest. This type of herring is therefore called the Hollandse Nieuwe. The term ‘New’ refers to the moment the herring has gone through the cycle from being lean to becoming fat. Herrings that are caught after this period therefore no longer have a roach and roe and are therefore much thinner. The rollmops is therefore a special creation of herring that is no longer fat.
Roll mops recipe
Ingredients
Roll mops are often made in advance and sold in glass jars or a bucket, usually per 2 or per 4. But you can also make these perfectly yourself. You have the following to make 2 roll mops ingredients required:
- one herring
- optional amount of onions
- pickles
- half liter of vinegar
- 25 cl of water
- some herbs such as bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns
Cooking equipment
- stainless steel pan
- extra pan or cooking pot
- cutting board
- spoon
- sharp knife
- glass jar or bucket
- cooking stove
- colander
- refrigerator
- wooden prods
Rollmops preparation
Cut the herring into 2 fillets. Place the skin side (so the dark) side down and let it rest on your cutting board. Then prepare the dressing for your rolmops: take a desired number of onions together with herbs of your choice and put them in the stainless steel pan. However, you do not have to choose to have the onions cooked, you can also add them prepared afterwards. Then pour in the vinegar and water. This will let you cook for a good 6 minutes. Then let the preparation cool down for 25 minutes. Then you take a colander and collect the vinegar and water in an extra cooking pot or pan. At that moment you have the onions in your colander (if you have chosen to cook them). Then place the onions together with the pickles on the fillet and roll it up. Then you put the roll mops in your glass jar or bucket and pour the vinegar with the water that is left over from boiling over the roll mops. To allow the roll mops to soak in properly, keep them in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Your rollmops are then ready to be eaten!