Herring are relatively small
oily fish of the genus
Clupea found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North
Pacific and the North
Atlantic oceans, including the
Baltic Sea. Two species of
Clupea are currently recognized, the
Atlantic herring (
Clupea harengus) and the
Pacific herring (
Clupea pallasii), each of which may be divided into subspecies. Herrings are
forage fish which move in vast
schools, coming in spring to the shores of
Europe and
America, where they are caught, salted and smoked in great quantities. Canned "
sardines" (or
pilchards) seen in
supermarkets may actually be
sprats or round herrings.
Morphology
All of the 200 species in the family
Clupeidae share similar distinguishing features. They are silvery colored fish that have a single
dorsal fin. Unlike most other fish, they have soft dorsal fins that lack spines, though some species have pointed scales that form a serrated
keel. They have no
lateral line and have a protruding lower jaw. Their overall size varies from species to species: the Baltic herring is small, usually about 14 to 18 centimeters in length, the Atlantic herring can grow to about 46 cm (18 inches) in length and weigh up to 1.5
pounds (680 g), and
Pacific herring grow to about 38 cm (15 inches).
Predators
Predators of adult herring include
seabirds,
dolphins,
porpoises,
striped bass,
seals,
sea lions,
whales, and
humans.
Sharks,
dog fish,
tuna,
cod,
salmon,
halibut and other large fish also feed on adult herring. Many of these animals also prey on juvenile herring.
Diet
See Atlantic herring for videos of feeding juvenile herring, catching copepods.
Young herring feed on
phytoplankton and as they mature they start to consume larger organisms. Adult herring feed on
zooplankton, tiny animals that are found in
oceanic
surface waters, and small fish and fish larvae.
Copepods and other tiny
crustaceans are the most common zooplankton eaten by herring. During
daylight herring stay in the safety of deep water, feeding at the surface only at night when there is less chance of predation. They swim along with their mouths open, filtering the
plankton from the water as it passes through their gills.
Economy
Commercial herring catch
Herring are an important economic fish. Adult fish are harvested for their meat and eggs. In
Southeast Alaska herring is sold as
baitfish.
Environmental Defense suggests
Atlantic herring (
Clupea harengus) as one of the more environmentally responsible fish available.
Cuisine
Herring has been a known
staple food source since 3000 B.C. There are numerous ways the fish is served and many regional recipes: eaten raw, fermented,
pickled, or cured by other techniques. The fish was sometimes known as "two-eyed steak".
Nutrition
Herring are very high in healthy long-chain
Omega-3 fatty acids,
EPA and
DHA. They are a source of vitamin D.
Large Baltic herring slightly exceeds recommended limits with respect to
PCB and
dioxin. Nevertheless, the health benefits from the fatty acids are more important than the risk from dioxin; their cancer-reducing effect is statistically stronger than the cancer-causing effect of PCBs and dioxins. The contaminant levels depend on the age of the fish which can be inferred from their size. Baltic herrings larger than 17 cm may be eaten twice a month, while herrings smaller than 17 cm can be eaten freely.
Pickled herring
Pickled herring is a popular delicacy in Europe, and has become a basic part of both
Jewish and Nordic cuisine. Most cured herring uses a two-step curing process. Initially, herring is cured with salt to extract water. The second stage involves removing the salt and adding flavorings, typically a vinegar, salt, sugar solution to which ingredients like peppercorn, bay leaves and raw onions are added.
In Scandinavia, once the pickling process is finished and depending on which of the dozens of classic herring flavourings (mustard, onion, garlic, lingonberries etc.) are selected, it is usually enjoyed with dark rye bread, crisp bread, or potatoes. This dish is a must at
Christmas and
Midsummer, where it is enjoyed with
akvavit.
In the Middle Ages the
Dutch developed a special treat known in English as
soused herring or
rollmops.
Pickled herring is common in
Russian cuisine, where it can be served as simple as just cut into pieces seasoned with sunflower oil and
onions, or can be part of herring
salads, which are usually prepared with
vegetables and seasoned with
mayonnaise dressing.
Pickled herrings are also common in
Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, perhaps best known for
forshmak salad known in English simply as "chopped herring". In Poland it is known as "Sledzie".
Pickled herring can also be found in the cuisine of
Hokkaidō in
Japan, where families traditionally preserved large quantities for winter.
Rollmops
The word
Rollmops, borrowed from
German, refers to a
pickled herring
fillet rolled (hence the name) into a
cylindrical shape around a piece of pickled
gherkin or an
onion.
Fermented
In Sweden, Baltic herring is fermented to make
surströmming.
Raw
Raw herring
roe is often used for
sushi or eaten by itself
A typical Dutch delicacy is
Hollandse Nieuwe, which is raw herring from the catches around the end of spring and the beginning of summer. This is typically eaten with raw
onions. Hollandse nieuwe is only available in spring when the first seasonal catch of herring is brought in. This is celebrated in
festivals such as the
Vlaardingen Herring Festival and Vlaggetjesdag in
Scheveningen. The new herring are frozen and enzyme-preserved for the remainder of the year. The first barrel of Hollandse Nieuwe is traditionally sold at auction for charity; in 2009, the € 66,000 paid for that first barrel was donated to
, a Dutch charity.
Herring is also
canned and exported by many countries. A
sild is an immature herring that is canned as
sardines in Iceland, Sweden,
Norway or
Denmark.
Very young herring are called
whitebait and are eaten whole as a delicacy.
Other means
Dutch street-side herring stall
Medieval herring fishing in
Scania (published 1555).
In Scotland the herring is traditionally filleted and after being coated in seasoned pin-head oatmeal is fried in a pan with butter or oil. This dish is usually served with "crushed" buttered boiled potatoes.
A
kipper is a split and smoked herring, a
bloater is a whole smoked herring and a
buckling is a hot smoked herring with the guts removed. All are staples of
British cuisine. According to
George Orwell in
The Road to Wigan Pier, the Emperor
Charles V erected a statue to the inventor of bloaters.
In
Northfield,
Minnesota, kippered herring is a popular pizza topping.
Smoked herring is a traditional meal on the Danish island in the Baltic Sea, Bornholm. In Scandinavia,
herring soup is also a traditional dish.
In
Southeast Alaska,
western hemlock boughs are cut and placed in the ocean before the herring arrive to spawn. The
fertilized herring eggs stick to the boughs, and are easily collected. After being boiled briefly the eggs are removed from the bough. Herring eggs collected in this way are eaten plain or in herring egg
salad. This method of collection is part of
Tlingit tradition.
See also
