Huzzah! The herring are running! FV Captain Midnight, Captain Chris Cameron found these in our own waters. The fishery is very healthy, as are the fish - they are short lived and do not bioaccumulate toxins and are full of omega-3s. Awesome pickled, fried, broiled, or baked.
Of all the fish that end up in the Neptune's Delight orders, herring require the most work. They will need to be scaled and gutted, or filleted. For pickling do not chunk the herring, fillet them. There's no easy way around this. Crack a beer or pour yourself a glass of wine and embrace the process of getting intimate with your fish! Remember, if you find eggs inside the females you can brine them and make your own kazunoko--or something close to it!
Herring meat is strong in flavor and soft in texture. It firms up really nicely when pickled. Herring can be grilled, pickled, smoked, broiled or pan fried. De-boning a herring is a tad more difficult than de-boning a sardine, but I suggest you just fillet it and leave the bones. If you're smoking your herring remember, our herring have much less fat than the Atlantic herring that are typically used for "kippers." So when marinating your local herring make sure to add a touch of oil or fat to the mix.
ORIGIN: FV Captain Midnight, Captain Chris Cameron
INFO PAGE: click for videos and more!
METHOD: Seine net
PREP TIP VIDEO: begins at 0:2:18
RECIPES: Kirk's pickled herring, oat-crusted fried herring, bacon-wrapped herring, herring milt & roe, Chinese-style steamed herring, roasted herring stuffed with herbs, or simply dredged in flour and pan fried - easy and delicious!
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