Matjes is young, lightly-cured Atlantic herring, eaten raw with onion and apple, the canonical North Sea catch on a Fischbroetchen or a cold plate with fried potatoes and gherkin.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Matjes-curing dates to 15th-century Dutch fishermen who developed the gibbing technique of removing only the gills and intestine, leaving the pancreas to cure the herring with its own enzymes. The Hamburg Fischmarkt has sold Matjes since 1703. The Matjes season runs June to August, when the herring is at its fattest pre-spawning; the first Matjes catch each year is celebrated at the Hamburg Fischmarkt with public tastings on the dock.
Common allergens: Fish
Tip from the editors. Use young Matjes from the June to August catch; older herring becomes too salty.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Bruecke 10 on the Landungsbruecken in Hamburg sells Fischbroetchen at €4 to 7 from a harbour-side kiosk counter, the city's defining cheap-eats lunch.
Try: Fischbroetchen
Tip: Daily 09:00 to 22:00 in summer. Sit on the bench facing the harbour.
Fishbar Originale on the Landungsbruecken in Hamburg sells the harbour-front classics in Fischbroetchen form, Backfisch, Krabben and Matjes from a kiosk counter.
Try: Backfisch and crab Fischbroetchen
Order: The Krabben Fischbroetchen with North Sea brown shrimp.
Tip: Cash and card both accepted; queue moves quickly on weekday afternoons.
Fischmarkt Altona on Grosse Elbstrasse in Hamburg has run every Sunday morning since 1703 and is the city's defining harbour market, with 70,000 weekly visitors.
Tip: Arrives 05:00 in summer, 07:00 in winter; closes by 09:30 sharp. Auctioneer banter is the show.
Old Commercial Room opposite the Michel in Hamburg has cooked Hanseatic harbour food since 1795 and is the city's canonical Labskaus address.
Order: The Original Hamburger Labskaus with fried egg, herring, beetroot and gherkin.
Tip: Open daily; lunch tables more available than dinner. Cash welcome but cards accepted.
More cities are in research. Want matjes covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.