Herring
CategorySeafood

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Herring is a group of small oily fish found in temperate waters.[1][2][3]

Characteristics

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Herring are small, elongated, silvery fish with fatty flesh (up to 20% fat) and a strong flavor.[4][5][6][7] They typically reach up to 8 ounces (225 g).[4][5] The pin bones are very small, which allows them to break down and become edible during cooking.[3] While they can be cooked from fresh, there is a very long history of salt-curing and smoking or pickling herring, and this is the more common form.

Varieties of Salted Herring
Variety Cuisine of origin Pickled? Smoked? Description
Bismarck herring Yes Single fillets, sometimes cut shorter; pickled in vinegar with onion[6][8]
Buckling German Yes (hot) Hot-smoked; may be beheaded and gutted[1][6]
Bloaters Yes (cold) Whole fish; lightly salted, dried, and lightly cold-smoked; plump-looking; eaten raw or cooked[6][9]
Red, golden, and silver herring Yes (cold) Whole herring; very heavily salted before cold smoking; red is smoked the longest (on the order of weeks), followed by golden, then silver.[6][10][11][12]
Hareng saur Yes Similar to red herring, being salted and smoked, but usually with a milder cure than red herring; typically saltier than kippers and bloaters[13]
Kipper Yes (cold) Gutted and split; relatively lightly salted and cold-smoked[4][6][9]
Maatjes (Hollandse Nieuwe/New Catch Herring) Dutch Young, fatty herring; gibbed (beheaded and cleaned, leaving the pancreas); lightly salted and ripened for hours to days; usually frozen to kill parasites; eaten eaw[14][7]
Rollmops Yes Small herring; cleaned, butterflied, and wrapped around a pickled cucumber; salted overnight and pickled with vinegar and onion.[3][6][8]
Schmaltz herring Jewish Sometimes Variety of salted herring preparations; may be smoked or not; often sold in oil[15]
Soused herring Yes Brined and marinated in a vinegar-based pickling liquid
Surstomming Swedish No Salted and allowed to ferment; strong odor[2][6][16]
White/salt herring Yes Pickled in brine[17]

Selection and storage

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Due in part to its high fat content,[4] fresh herring is even more perishable than other fish, so it is not always commonly available.[5] It should have the same markers of quality as other fresh fish, with a fresh smell.[2][3] Cook as soon as possible.[2]

As described above, the most common use for herring is to be salted and smoked or pickled.[1][3] Fresh herring is often prepared using dry heat methods, such as grilling, frying, or baking.[2][4][5][6] Herring roe are called kazunoko and eaten in Japan.[3]

Substitution

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Recipes

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References

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  1. a b c Kipfer, Barbara Ann (2012-04-11). The Culinarian: A Kitchen Desk Reference. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-544-18603-3.
  2. a b c d e "Herring | Good Food". www.bbcgoodfood.com. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  3. a b c d e f The Culinary Institute of America (CIA); Ainsworth, Mark (2009-02-04). Kitchen Pro Series: Guide to Fish and Seafood Identification, Fabrication and Utilization. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-4354-0036-8.
  4. a b c d e Gisslen, Wayne (2014-04-15). Professional Cooking. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-63672-5.
  5. a b c d Labensky, Sarah R.; Hause, Alan M.; Martel, Priscilla (2018-01-18). On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals. Pearson. ISBN 978-0-13-444190-0.
  6. a b c d e f g h i Davidson, Alan (2014-01-01). Jaine, Tom (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199677337.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-967733-7.
  7. a b McGee, Harold (2007-03-20). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-5637-4.
  8. a b Rigby, Graeme (2019-05-20). "ROLLMOPS & BISMARCKS". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  9. a b Rigby, Graeme (2019-02-08). "KIPPER". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  10. Rigby, Graeme (2019-02-11). "RED HERRING". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  11. Rigby, Graeme (2019-02-11). "GOLDEN HERRING". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  12. Rigby, Graeme (2019-02-12). "SILVER HERRING". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  13. Rigby, Graeme (2019-02-12). "HARENG SAUR". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  14. "Rejoice! New Catch Holland Herring Season Is Upon Us". Serious Eats. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  15. Rigby, Graeme (2019-02-12). "SCHMALTZ HERRING". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  16. Rigby, Graeme (2019-01-21). "SURSTRÖMMING". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  17. Rigby, Graeme (2019-02-11). "WHITE HERRING". Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring. Retrieved 2024-11-11.