Herring

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Herrings are small oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the temperate, shallow waters of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.

There are 15 species of herring, the most abundant of which is the Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus. Herrings move in vast schools, coming in spring to the shores of Europe and America, where they are caught, salted and smoked in great quantities.

Contents

1 Morphology
2 Ecology
3 Economy
4 Cuisine

4.1 Pickled herring
4.2 Rollmops
4.3 Fermented
4.4 Raw
4.5 Other means

5 Herring lore
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Morphology

All of the nearly 200 species of herring 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 also have a protruding lower jaw somewhat like a bulldog's. Their overall size varies greatly from species to species; the Atlantic herring can grow to about 18 inches in length and weigh up to 1.5 pounds (700 g) as compared to the Tropical Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) which can grow to a length of 80 inches (approx 8 feet or 2.0 m) and weigh up to 200 pounds (90 kg).

Ecology

Economy

Cuisine

Herring have been a staple food source, especially for northern Europeans, back to 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.

Environmental Defense suggests Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) to be the most Ecological choice for eating.

Pickled herring

A very popular Scandinavian food item, pickled herring has been around for a long time. Most herring curing at home 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.

Once the pickling process is finished and depending on which of the dozens of classic herring flavorings 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 a snaps.

In the middle ages the Dutch developed a special treat known in English as soused herring.

Pickled herrings are also common in Ashkenanzi Jewish cuisine, perhaps best known for forshmak salad known in English simply as "chopped herring".

Rollmops

For more details on this topic, see Rollmops.

The word Rollmops, borrowed from Dutch , refers to a pickled herring fillet rolled (hence the name) into a cylindrical shape around a piece of pickled cucumber 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 raw herring (actually enzyme-cured) with raw shredded onions. To stop parasites, the herring has to be deep-frozen before the curing process.

Herring is also canned and exported by many countries. A sild is an immature herring that are canned as sardines in Norway.

Very young herring are called whitebait and are eaten whole as a delicacy.

Other means

A kipper is a split and smoked herring, and a bloater is a whole smoked herring. Both are staples of British cuisine.

In Scandinavian, Herring soup is also a traditional soup.

Herring lore

Figuratively, a red herring is a false lead in a mystery. In this context, red means smoked, and a smoked herring has such a strong smell that it can be used to create a false scent that causes hunting dogs to lose a track.

Fish school of herrings.

See Atlantic herring for videos of feeding juvenile herring, catching copepods.

References

["Clupea"]. FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.

External links

[link]
[link]. This study won the Ig Nobel Prize in 2004.
[Atlantic Herring] from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute

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