Herring as food

Herringareforage fishin the wild, mostly belonging to the familyClupeidae. They are an importantfood for humans.Herringoften move in largeschoolsaroundfishing banksand near the coast. The most abundant and commercially important species belong to the genusClupea, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of theNorth PacificandNorth Atlantic Oceans, including theBaltic Sea, as well as off the west coast of South America. Three species ofClupeaare recognized; the main taxon, theAtlantic herring, accounts for over half the world's commercial capture of herrings.
Herrings played a pivotal role in the history of marinefisheriesin Europe,and early in the twentieth century, their study was fundamental to the evolution offisheries science.Theseoily fishalso have a long history as an importantfood fish, and are oftensalted,smoked, orpickled.
Raw Atlantic herring is 72% water, 18%protein, 9%fat, and contains nocarbohydrates. In a 100 gram reference amount, raw herring provides 158calories, and is a highly rich source (20% or more of theDaily Value, DV) ofvitamin B12(570% DV). It also has rich content ofniacin,vitamin B6,vitamin D, andphosphorus(21-34% DV). Raw herring contains moderate amounts of otherB vitaminsandzinc, and is an excellent food source ofomega-3 fatty acids.
Pacific and Atlantic herring are susceptible to contamination from environmentalpollution, such as byPCBs,PBDEs,mercury, andlisteria.There is a (rare) risk of harmful bacteria from eating raw herring eggs.
Herring has been astaple foodsource since at least 3000 B.C. There are numerous ways the fish is served and many regional recipes: eaten raw, fermented,pickled, or cured by other techniques.
A typical Dutch delicacy isHollandse Nieuwe(Dutch New), which is raw herring from the catches around the end of spring and the beginning of summer. This is typically eaten with raw onion. Hollandse nieuwe is only available in spring when the first seasonal catch of herring is brought in.  This is celebrated in festivals such as theVlaardingenHerring Festival and Vlaggetjesdag inScheveningen. The new herring are frozen and enzyme-preserved for the remainder of the year. The herring is said to be eaten "raw" because it has not been cooked, although it has been subjected to a degree of curing. The first barrel of Hollandse Nieuwe is traditionally sold at auction for charity. Very young herring are calledwhitebaitand are eaten whole as a delicacy.
InNorway, salting herring is a significant business. Herring was traditionally salted in woodenbarrelsand constituted a significant food resource. Salted herring is the basis for a number of herring dishes, asspekesild.
In Sweden, Baltic herring ("Strömming") is fermented to makesurströmming.
Pickled herringsare part of German (Bismarckhering), Nordic, British, Canadian, Dutch, Polish, Baltic and Jewishcuisine. Most herring cures use a two-step process. Initially, the herrings are cured with salt to extract water. The second stage involves removing the salt and adding flavorings, typically a vinegar, salt, and sugar solution to which ingredients like peppercorn, bay leaves and raw onions are added. Other flavors can be added, such as sherry, mustard and dill. The tradition is strong in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Poland, Iceland and Germany.
In the Philippines, dried herring is popularly eaten during breakfast, along with garlic rice and eggs.
Akipperis a split, gutted and cold-smoked herring, abloateris a whole non-gutted cold smoked herring, and abucklingis a whole herring, gutted apart fromroeormiltand then hot-smoked. All are staples ofBritish cuisine. According toGeorge OrwellinThe Road to Wigan Pier, EmperorCharles Verected a statue to the inventor of bloaters.
Smoked herring is a traditional meal onBornholm. This is also the case in Sweden, where one can get hard-fried/smokedströmming, known assotare, in places likeSkansen, Stockholm.
In Scotland, herrings are traditionally filleted, coated in seasonedpin-head oatmeal, and fried in a pan with butter or oil. This dish is usually served with "crushed", buttered, and boiled potatoes.
In Sweden,herring soupis a traditional dish.
InSoutheastAlaska,western hemlockboughs are cut and placed in the ocean before the herring arrive to spawn. Thefertilizedherring 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 eggsalad. This method of collection is part ofTlingittradition.