Herring

Name: Herring (Clupea harengus) — a small, silvery, oily fish that swims in enormous shoals in the North Atlantic and Baltic, a staple food of northern Europe for centuries. It is eaten fresh, salted, pickled, smoked and fermented.

Description

Herring built the fortunes of northern European trading towns, and the Dutch, Scandinavians, Germans and British all had huge herring fisheries, and the Hanseatic League's wealth depended on salted herring. Cured forms include rollmops (pickled herring wrapped round a gherkin), matjes, kippers (split, salted and smoked), bloaters and Swedish surströmming.

In the Netherlands, the first herring of the season (Hollandse Nieuwe) is eaten raw, lightly salted, by the tail with chopped onion, in early summer. In Scandinavia, herring is eaten pickled on rye bread at Midsummer and Christmas. Herring stocks have recovered in the North Sea after collapses, though some stocks remain under pressure.

Main nutrition value

Herring is an oily fish, and a rich source of the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA, vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium and protein. It is also a source of iodine, and is lower in mercury than larger oily fish.

How best to be consumed

Herring is eaten fresh, cooked, pickled or smoked.

1. Pan-fry or grill fresh herring fillets, coated in oatmeal or flour, with lemon, for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
2. Serve pickled herring on rye bread with onion, dill, soured cream and boiled potatoes.
3. Bake kippers, or poach them in hot water, and serve with eggs and toast.
4. Eat raw herring only if sold for raw use, or frozen first.
5. Rinse cured herring if it is too salty.

Overconsumption could cause…

Herring is healthy in food amounts, with the cured forms high in salt.

1. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, especially in cured, smoked or canned fish.
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, so buy very fresh fish and keep it cold.
4. Food poisoning and parasites (such as anisakis worms) from raw or undercooked fish, so use fish sold as suitable for raw eating, freeze it first, and take extra care in pregnancy and with weak immunity.
5. Gout flare-ups in people with gout, since fish and shellfish are moderately high in purines.
6. Environmental contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins, which build up in the fat of oily fish, so eating a variety of fish and trimming skin and fat can help, and the benefits of oily fish generally outweigh the risks for most people.

GroupsOily FishFinfishHigh proteinLow sodiumRich in omega-3Rich in seleniumRich in vitamin B12Rich in vitamin DFresh

Made intoCanned Herring

Related foodsTroutFresh TunaRainbow TroutSpanish MackerelEelAnchovies

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