Frens Haringhandel

Herring is a classic Dutch snack. When you walk around Amsterdam, you encounter a lot of stands like this:

A at Frens Haringhandel
This one is in Koningsplein near the tram stop we often went to and the local Albert Heijn. Every time we saw it, we thought that maybe we should try the herring since we were in Amsterdam and herring is a Dutch thing. On our penultimate day, we finally ventured in for a post-pancake afternoon snack.

Frens Haringhandel has different types of fish, but we were there for the herring. I guess traditionally the way to eat herring was to hold it by the tail and eat the rest of the fish. We decided to go for the sandwich instead but I did like seeing the banners in the window:

Even the herring is patriotic
The sandwich comes with one piece of herring (no tail, no head, but otherwise whole) with pickles and onions on a soft bun. The herring itself isn't raw - it's pickled or salted or something prior to being served.

Herring plus pickles plus onions equals awesome
I was really pleasantly surprised by the sandwich. I kept hearing people talk about it so apprehensively (not in the city, but online in our research) and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I was expecting a tough fishy bite and then to hand it back to A, but at least I could say that I tried it. But that wasn't the case at all. The fish was pretty soft and tender, and it wasn't that fishy at all. The onions and pickles on top gave the sandwich a nice crunch and were really complementary.

A wasn't sure what to expect. He didn't know if it would be fishy, salty or sour. Texturally, A thought it was a little slimy (but expected that when he saw it), but the pickles and onions added a nice texture. He also thought that the bread, since it wasn't toasted, was soft and chewy, which was nice to pair up with the soft herring. If the bread were harder or tougher, it wouldn't have worked as well with the herring. Overall, he really liked it.

Here's what it looked like once we got halfway through the sandwich:

Pretty Amsterdam houses in the background of our sandwich
See how soft and flaky the fish looks? I was so surprised by it but it was really good.

Since Frens Haringhandel is located in the middle of a plaza, they don't really have any of their own seating, so we stood in the plaza eating by a canal. We didn't mind. We could have sat on the benches but unfortunately it had recently rained, so we just stood for a little bit.

With my half of the sandwich in the plaza
Sometimes I find myself thinking about these herring sandwiches - how refreshing they were, the unexpected flavor, and how fresh it all tasted - and I find myself wanting one. Sadly, this is something we definitely can't get at home. Next time we're in Amsterdam we will definitely be seeking out some more herring!