Herrings en Papillote

Ingredients

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 volumes of the onion rye bread crumb (mie de pain de seigle)
• pinch pepper
• pinch nutmeg
• 2 decilitres Allemande sauce (velouté-based allemande)
• 3 salt herrings, desalted
• 1 sheet parchment paper (papillote)
• butter

Instructions

1. Heat butter in a pan and sauté the finely chopped onion until softened. Add twice its volume of rye bread crumb, then season with pepper and nutmeg. Pour in the Allemande sauce (a creamy French sauce) and cook this mixture for 5 minutes, stirring to combine.
2. Fold in the diced herring fillets (reserving the heads and tails). Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
3. Divide the cooled mixture into portions the size of a whole herring. On a buttered work surface, shape each portion into the form of a herring, crowning each piece with a reserved head and tail.
4. Pass the shaped herrings into the oven for light browning and color. Immediately enclose each one in an oiled parchment papillote (paper case), and at the moment of service, blow air into the papillote to puff it slightly.