Herring as food facts for kids

Dutch herring stall

Fisherman selling smoked herring

Herring are small, silvery fish that live in the ocean. They are a type of "forage fish," meaning they are a main food source for bigger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. But herring are also a very important food for people all over the world!

Herring often swim together in huge groups called "schools." You can find these schools near the coast and in areas called "fishing banks," which are shallow parts of the ocean where fish gather. The most common types of herring belong to a group called Clupea. These are found in the cooler, shallow waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, including the Baltic Sea. They also live off the west coast of South America.

There are three main types of Clupea herring. The most important one is the Atlantic herring. This type makes up more than half of all the herring caught for food around the world. For a long time, herring have been a key part of fishing in Europe. Studying these fish helped scientists learn a lot about how to manage fisheries. Herring are also known as "oily fish" because they are full of healthy oils. People often prepare them by salting, smoking, or pickling them.

What's in Herring?

Quick facts for kids
Atlantic herring, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	661 kJ (158 kcal)
Carbohydrates	0.0 g
Sugars	0.00
Dietary fiber	0.0 g
Fat	9.04 g
Protein	17.96 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV†
Thiamine (B1)	8% 0.092 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	19% 0.233 mg
Niacin (B3)	20% 3.217 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	13% 0.645 mg
Vitamin B6	23% 0.302 mg
Folate (B9)	3% 10 μg
Vitamin B12	570% 13.67 μg
Vitamin C	1% 0.7 mg
Vitamin D	28% 167 IU
Vitamin E	7% 1.07 mg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Calcium	6% 57 mg
Iron	8% 1.10 mg
Magnesium	9% 32 mg
Manganese	2% 0.035 mg
Phosphorus	34% 236 mg
Potassium	11% 327 mg
Sodium	6% 90 mg
Zinc	10% 0.99 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	72 g
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.

Raw Atlantic herring is mostly water (72%), with a good amount of protein (18%) and healthy fat (9%). It has no carbohydrates. A 100-gram serving of raw herring gives you about 158 calories.

Herring is an amazing source of vitamin B₁₂. It also has a lot of niacin, vitamin B₆, vitamin D, and phosphorus. Plus, it contains other B vitamins and zinc. Herring is especially good because it's full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for your body.

How People Eat Herring

People have been eating herring for thousands of years, since at least 3000 B.C.! There are many different ways to prepare and serve this fish, and many countries have their own special recipes. Herring can be eaten raw, fermented, pickled, or cured in other ways.

Raw Herring

In the Netherlands, a special treat is Hollandse Nieuwe (Dutch New). This is raw herring caught in late spring and early summer. People usually eat it with raw onion. Hollandse Nieuwe is only fresh in the spring when the first herring of the season arrive. This is celebrated with festivals like the Vlaardingen Herring Festival. The herring is called "raw" because it's not cooked, but it has been lightly cured.

Salted Herring

Salting herring is a big business in Norway. In the past, herring was salted in wooden barrels and was a very important food source. Salted herring is used to make many other dishes, like spekesild.

Fermented Herring

In Sweden, people ferment Baltic herring to make a dish called surströmming.

Pickled Herring

Pickled herring is popular in German, Nordic, British, Canadian, Dutch, Polish, Baltic, and Jewish cooking. To pickle herring, it's first salted to remove water. Then, the salt is washed off, and the fish is put in a mix of vinegar, salt, and sugar. Other things like peppercorns, bay leaves, and onions are often added for flavor. You can also find pickled herring with sherry, mustard, or dill flavors. This tradition is very strong in places like Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Germany.

Dried Herring

In the Philippines, dried herring is a popular breakfast food. It's often eaten with garlic rice and eggs.

Smoked Herring

There are different types of smoked herring:

• A kipper is a herring that has been split open, cleaned, and cold-smoked.
• A bloater is a whole herring that hasn't been cleaned, but is cold-smoked.
• A buckling is a whole herring that's been cleaned (except for the roe or milt), and then hot-smoked.

All of these are traditional foods in British cuisine.

Smoked herring is also a traditional meal on the island of Bornholm and in Sweden.

Other Ways to Eat Herring

In Scotland, herring fillets are often coated in seasoned oatmeal and fried in a pan with butter or oil. This dish is usually served with boiled and buttered potatoes.

Herring soup is a traditional dish in Sweden.

In Southeast Alaska, people collect herring eggs that stick to western hemlock tree branches placed in the ocean. These fertilized eggs are then briefly boiled and eaten plain or in a herring egg salad. This way of collecting eggs is part of the traditional culture of the Tlingit people.

Herring Dishes Around the World

Name	Image	Origin	Description
Avruga caviar		Spain	Avruga is sold as a caviar substitute. It's made from herring (40%), salt, and other ingredients. It doesn't contain real fish roe.
Bloater		England	A bloater is a whole herring that is lightly salted and cold-smoked. It's different from a kipper because it's smoked whole and not for as long.
Brathering		Germany	This is a dish of fried, marinated herring. Fresh herring are coated in flour, fried, and then pickled in a vinegar sauce with onions and spices. It's served cold with bread or potatoes.
Buckling		European	A hot-smoked herring, similar to a kipper or bloater. The guts are removed, but the roe or milt stay inside. Buckling can be eaten hot or cold.
Dressed herring		Russia	This is a layered salad with salted herring, boiled vegetables (potato, carrot, beet), and onions. It's topped with mayonnaise, which gives it a purple color. It's popular for New Year and Christmas.
Fischbrötchen (fish sandwich)		Germany	A sandwich with fish and onions, sometimes with pickles. It's often made with bismarck herring or soused herring.
Herring noodle		Japan	Called Nishin-soba, this is a noodle dish with herring.
Herring roe		Japan	Called Kazunoko, herring roe is often served as part of Osechi for Japanese New Year.
Herring soup		Sweden	A traditional soup made with herring.
Herring spawn		Japan	Called Komochi-Kombu, this is herring spawn (eggs) on seaweed. It's often used in sushi.
Herring with mushrooms		Lithuania	A traditional Christmas Eve dish. Lithuanians have many ways to prepare herring.
Kipper		United Kingdom	A whole herring that has been split open, cleaned, and cold-smoked.
Pickled herring		Northern Europe	Herring that has been preserved in a vinegar solution, often with spices and onions.
Rollmops		Germany	A pickled herring fillet rolled around a piece of pickled gherkin or onion.
Śledzie		Poland	Pickled herring mixed with chopped onions, hard-boiled eggs, apple, sour cream, and spices. It's a traditional Christmas Eve dish.
Solomon Gundy		Jamaica	A spicy pickled fish pâté, often made with smoked herring.
Soused herring		Netherlands	Fresh herring that has been cured in a mild vinegar solution, often eaten with raw onions.
Spekesild		Norway	A traditional Norwegian dish of salted and filleted herring. It's often served with boiled potatoes, raw onions, pickled beets, butter, and flatbread.
Surströmming		Sweden	Fermented Baltic herring, known for its very strong smell.
Vorschmack		Ashkenazi Jews (Eastern Europe)	A chopped herring salad, often made with apples, onions, and bread.

Images for kids

• 

  Bloaters on yellow paper, van Gogh, 1889

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  Smoked herring

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  Traditional Finnish herring stew