Serves 4
4 herrings
medium oatmeal, for coating salt and freshly milled pepper 8 rashers streaky bacon
1 tablespoon oil
Clean the herrings and cut off the heads. Place on a work surface and spread out flat, skin side up. Press along the back to loosen the hone, then turn each herring over and gently pull away the bone. Put the oatmeal on to a plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat the herrings by firmly pressing each side in the oatmeal. Shake away loose oatmeal.
Trim the bacon. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat, add the bacon and fry until crisp. Push the bacon over to one side of the pan. Fry the herrings in the hot bacon fat for 5-6 minutes, turning once. Serve with the fried bacon rashers.