Scheveningen fishmonger wins best haring test

Scheveningen fishmonger Gebroeders Simonis has been awarded this year's prize for selling the best herring in the Netherlands in the annual AD Haring Test. Gebroeders Simonis started as an eel smokehouse in The Hague in 1880. The business has since grown into an empire that includes restaurants, fishmongers and sales vehicles and employs a total of 250 people. "Dutch are quite willing to spend money on fish, but it has to be top notch.", current owner Dennis Simonis, 42, said to AD about their success strategy. "We want to offer it. An honest piece of fish, fresh and good and at a fair price." This formula seems to work for them - the fishmonger in Scheveningen is booming and the adjacent restaurants draws around 2,500 customers on an ordinary Saturday. "Part of the success is that everything is always fresh", Simonis said to the newspaper. According to the AD, 2015 is a remarkable year for herring. The start of the season was postponed and the quality was quite poor, especially during the firs two weeks. Despite this, many retailers still managed to produce a remarkable result, with more retailers than ever scoring 8 or above. Simonis was the only one of the 153 visited outlets that scored a 10. Judges Aad Taal and John Oosterhuis were unanimous in their decision. "Especially given the circumstance, a very good, excellently cleaned herring with a slightly creamy accent."

Beste haring van NL haal je op Scheveningen! Zijn #trots op @Simonisvis, nr 1 @ADnl Haringtest http://t.co/JObVsGtfw8 pic.twitter.com/4YGMJ6A2Nj

— Newsroom Den Haag (@Newsroom070) July 24, 2015