How to cook kippers – want to have kippers for breakfast? You should…
Understanding how to cook kippers couldn’t be easier. But first, having kippers for breakfast really reminds me of being a kid.
My Dad would pick some kippers up and we’d sit around the kitchen table intricately removing the bones and devouring the smokey first meal of the day. What I loved as a kid was:
1. it made me feel like a grown up; I mean I’m seven years old and eating a bloody kipper!
2. I got such a crack of seeing the whole fish bone being removed – it was like a cartoon sketch of a cat eating a whole fish and is left with the entire skeleton.
So having kippers for breakfast was fun, and learning how to cook kippers in a few minutes and eat them was a life skill that decades on I now share with my kids.
If truth be told I never thought my kids would go for it. We eat breakfast together at weekends and I’ve banged on about the awesome pancakes the kids love, or the one-pan corned beef hash with baked eggs, but I always thought kippers would be a step too far.
So, as the kids sat down and I drizzled some maple syrup over their porridge I cooked my kipper and prepped it to have for breakfast with a simple squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil. I sit down, remove the bones and the first one pipes up..
“what’s that?”
“a kipper”
“what’s a kipper?”
“it’s this. a smoked fish that Daddy is having or breakfast”
“can I have some”
“OK, just a little, I only bought one, here you go”
All the while number two is peering over his porridge at this conversation and eventually curiosity gets the better of him.
“what’s that?”
“it’s a kipper, I’ve just told your sister”
“can I have some as well?”
“Yes, of course you can, but not a lot, I’ve not had any breakfast yet and only bought the one”
Needless to say the little scavengers that I love dearly ate the lot (which deep down I loved that they did).
I didn’t make that mistake again. The following weekend I bought three kippers for breakfast. Cooked the kippers, deboned them for the kids and sat down ready to have my own.
My wife walks in; “what’s that…”
I now buy at least 4.
After all that I must confess this isn’t really a recipe on how to cook kippers – it couldn’t be simpler and some may gasp, some may protest, but the way we cook kippers is the only way I’ve ever had them and they taste great. Moist, perfectly cooked and ready in 2 minutes.
Here goes.
How to cook kippers for breakfast (or any time of day):
- Put your kipper on a plate.
- Microwave, yes micowave, for 2.5 minutes.
- Gently peel away the main backbone by the tail and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and squeeze of fresh lemon.
- Season salt and pepper and serve with a slice of toast to help digest any little bones that sneak through..
- Enjoy!
I use a 800w microwave and 2-2.5 mins is perfect, if your microwave is stronger/weaker adjust timings a bit.
Oh! Want more quick and easy microwave meals?
Re removing ‘main backbone’, how many backbones do kippers have ?
My Dad used to bring home breakfast fish. My Father is gone and have wondered what that wonderful taste was. Now I know and am thrilled! Now I have to figure out how to buy them.
That’s so nice to hear! I hope you enjoy!