Canned Herring

Name: Canned herring — herring (Clupea harengus) that have been cooked or smoked and packed in tins, in tomato sauce, mustard sauce, oil or brine. Smoked, canned herring is sold as kippers or “kipper snacks,” and fermented herring is a Swedish speciality.

Description

Herring is one of the most important food fish in history, and fed northern Europe for centuries, with salted and pickled herring a staple of the Baltic, North Sea and Atlantic coasts. Canning followed in the 19th century, particularly in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Scotland, Canada and Iceland.

Swedish surströmming is fermented Baltic herring, canned while still fermenting, so the tins bulge, and the smell is famously powerful, which is why it is traditionally opened outdoors. More mainstream canned herring is in tomato or mustard sauce, and is eaten on crispbread or with potatoes.

Main nutrition value

Herring is an oily fish, rich in the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA, vitamin D and vitamin B12, with selenium and iodine, and it is lower in mercury than larger fish.

How best to be consumed

Canned herring is eaten cold from the tin, or used in simple dishes.

1. Eat on rye bread, crispbread or toast with sliced onion and mustard, a classic Nordic combination.
2. Serve with boiled potatoes, dill and soured cream, or in salads.
3. Flake into fishcakes, pasta and omelettes.
4. Choose herring in tomato sauce or water over very sweet or creamy sauces, if watching sugar.
5. Keep unopened cans in a cool, dry place, and once opened transfer any leftovers to a covered container in the fridge and use within two days.

Overconsumption could cause…

Canned herring is healthy in sensible portions, with salt the main concern.

1. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, so choose no-added-salt or low-sodium cans where you can and rinse before eating.
2. Fish allergy, which can be severe and is usually lifelong, so anyone allergic must avoid fish and check labels, including fish in sauces and dressings.
3. Scombroid (histamine) poisoning, causing flushing, headache, rash and stomach upset within minutes to hours, from fish that were stored too warm before canning or in the fridge once opened, so keep opened cans cold and use quickly.
4. Gout flare-ups in people with gout, since fish and shellfish are moderately high in purines.

GroupsCanned FishFinfishCanned

Made fromHerring

Related foodsCanned AnchoviesCanned MackerelCanned SalmonCanned SardinesCanned TroutCanned Tuna

Wikipedia — Atlantic herring, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_herring