Herring with mustard, dill and potatoes is a Scandinavian favourite. This one has an unusual kick of curry powder. Herring stocks are suffering from the effects of over-fishing smoked herring ecological changes, so herring is less widely available than it once was. If you can find it, choose a sustainable source, labelled with the MSC blue tick.
Herring is available year round, but the flavour is best from spring to autumn. Ensure freshness by choosing large, firm and slippery fish. You’ll need to clean the fish before cooking: it’s usual to dispose of the head and guts but not the bones, which are usually soft and edible. Herring is perhaps best cooked in white wine or light vinegar – the acid flavours suit its rich flesh. Herring roe is also full of flavour and worth keeping. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
This article is about the species of fish. For their use as food, see Herring as food. Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family Clupeidae. Herring played a pivotal role in the history of marine fisheries in Europe, and early in the 20th century, their study was fundamental to the evolution of fisheries science. Herring are also known as “silver darlings”. A number of different species, most belonging to the family Clupeidae, are commonly referred to as herrings.
The origins of the term “herring” is somewhat unclear, though it may derive from the Old High German heri meaning a “host, multitude”, in reference to the large schools they form. The type genus of the herring family Clupeidae is Clupea. In addition, a number of related species, all in the Clupeidae, are commonly referred to as herrings. 200 species that share similar features. These silvery-coloured fish have a single dorsal fin, which is soft, without spines.
At least one stock of Atlantic herring spawns in every month of the year. The eggs sink to the bottom, where they stick in layers or clumps to gravel, seaweed, or stones, by means of their mucous coating, or to any other objects on which they chance to settle. If the egg layers are too thick they suffer from oxygen depletion and often die, entangled in a maze of mucus. They need substantial water microturbulence, generally provided by wave action or coastal currents. Only the eyes are well pigmented. The rest of the body is nearly transparent, virtually invisible under water and in natural lighting conditions.
Transparent eggs with the yolk and eyes visible and one larva hatched. Freshly hatched larva in a drop of water beside a match to demonstrate how tiny it is: The black eyes and the yolk are visible. Young larva in typical oblique swimming position, with remaining yolk still attached: Another larva at the upper right is in the classical S-shape of the beginning phase of attacking a copepod. Still transparent juvenile herring, about 38 mm long and 3 months old: Visible are the otoliths, the gut, the silvery swimbladder, and the heart. Herrings consume copepods, arrow worms, pelagic amphipods, mysids, and krill in the pelagic zone.
Herring feed on phytoplankton, and as they mature, they start to consume larger organisms. They also feed on zooplankton, tiny animals found in oceanic surface waters, and small fish and fish larvae. Copepods and other tiny crustaceans are the most common zooplankton eaten by herring. Copepods, the primary zooplankton, are a major item on the forage fish menu. Some scientists say they form the largest animal biomass on the planet.