Fried Baltic herring with dill butter (Stekt strömming)

1. Rinse the herring fillets in cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper; if you buy whole fish, gut them, cut off the heads and remove the backbones first.

2. Finely chop the dill and parsley, work them into a third of the butter and season lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Lay half the fillets skin side down, spread them with the herb butter and place another fillet on each, skin side up, like a sandwich.

4. Mix the rye flour with salt and pepper on a plate and coat the fillet pairs on both sides.

5. Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan until foaming and fry the fish over medium heat for 3 minutes per side until golden.

6. Serve with mashed potatoes, lingonberry jam and the butter left in the pan.

Tip: Stekt strömming is true Stockholm street food: at the fish stalls by the harbour it is still fried like this, in butter with a rye flour coating. The rye flour gives the soft fish a crisp, slightly nutty crust. If you can't get fresh herring, small mackerel or sardine fillets work too.