Herring: The Everyday Fish That's Quietly Packed With Omega-3

Photo: Pexels

What herring is

Herring (Clupea harengus) is a small, silvery fish in the Clupeidae family — the same family as sardines, anchovies, and shad. Slender body, between 8 and 16 inches long, and one of the most heavily fished species in the world for centuries running.

It swims in dense schools in the North Atlantic, the North Sea, and the Baltic — cold water, close to the surface. There's so much of it that herring built entire fishing economies in Northern Europe; cities like Amsterdam and Gothenburg owe part of their early wealth to it.

Fresh herring is genuinely hard to find outside a handful of coastal markets. What actually reaches most kitchens has already been processed: smoked, pickled in vinegar, or canned in oil or sauce. That processing is also what makes herring so convenient — no thawing, no prep, straight from the jar or the fridge.

The most common format is smoked herring — sold whole as kippers, or as boneless vacuum-packed fillets. Pickled herring, popular at Scandinavian and Jewish delis, comes in a vinegar brine, sometimes with onion, wine, or a cream sauce.

In Northern Europe, herring is closer to a pantry staple than a specialty item. The Dutch eat it raw and lightly cured — Hollandse Nieuwe, sold from street stalls every summer. Scandinavians build entire holiday spreads around pickled versions. British breakfasts have leaned on kippers for well over a century.

Why herring is worth eating

For a fish that's cheap where it's caught, herring has a nutrition profile that rivals ingredients costing far more. Per 100g of smoked herring:

• Calories: ~217 kcal
• Protein: ~24 g
• Total fat: ~12 g (mostly unsaturated)
• Omega-3: ~1.7 g
• Vitamin D: ~16 µg — about 107% of the recommended daily intake
• Vitamin B12: ~13 µg — more than 5x the daily recommendation
• Selenium: ~34 µg

Omega-3 is the headline number. 1.7g per 100g edges out what canned sardines offer on average — usually 1.0 to 1.5g depending on species and packing. For comparison, canned tuna in water has just 0.1 to 0.3g of omega-3 per 100g. The FAO lists herring among the fish with the highest nutritional value for human consumption.

Vitamin D is the other reason to pay attention. Foods with a meaningful amount of natural vitamin D are rare — an egg has about 2 µg per unit. Smoked herring has roughly 16 µg per 100g, one of the densest food sources that exists. If you're trying to raise vitamin D without a supplement, herring is one of the more concrete options.

The catch: smoked and pickled herring run high in sodium, around 650 to 750mg per 100g. That's part of the curing process. If you're watching sodium, it doesn't rule herring out, but it does set a reasonable portion size.

A direct comparison with common oily fish:

• Omega-3 in herring: ~1.7g per 100g
• Omega-3 in canned sardines: ~1.0–1.5g per 100g
• Omega-3 in canned tuna: ~0.1–0.3g per 100g
• Omega-3 in salmon: ~2.0–2.5g per 100g — more, but it costs considerably more per pound

Herring sits between sardines and salmon nutritionally, and well below salmon in price. It's not the cheapest fish on the shelf, but per serving, it delivers more omega-3 than any can of tuna.

Photo: Pexels

Smoked, pickled, or canned: what you'll actually find

Herring sells under more formats than most fish, and each one is built for a different use.

Smoked (kippers or boneless fillets)

Sold whole as kippers — split, gutted, and cold-smoked, still with small bones — or as boneless vacuum-packed fillets. The boneless fillet is the easier starting point if you're trying herring for the first time. Ready to eat straight from the package.

Pickled

Comes in jars, cured in a vinegar brine, sometimes with onion, mustard, or a cream or wine sauce. Common at Scandinavian, German, and Jewish delis. The flavor is sharper and more acidic than smoked herring — closer to a condiment than a main ingredient.

Canned

In oil, tomato sauce, or mustard sauce. The cheapest and most shelf-stable format, similar in spirit to canned sardines — pull it out of the pantry, no refrigeration needed until it's opened.

Where to find it:

• Specialty grocers — Scandinavian, German, and Jewish delis carry the widest range, especially pickled herring
• Well-stocked supermarkets — smoked and canned herring usually show up in the international or canned fish aisle
• Online — the full range of formats, useful if nothing local carries it

How to cook with herring

Smoked or pickled herring has a strong flavor. The rule of thumb: start with less than you think you need, especially the first time. The fish holds its own in a dish — it doesn't take much to show up.

Herring pasta

The most direct use. Cook the pasta. Break the fillets into small pieces. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped dill. Ready in 20 minutes. The herring carries the dish without needing much else — works well with spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne.

On toast or a bagel

Cream cheese as the base, herring fillet on top, capers and chives. Works as an appetizer or a fast dinner. The fat in the cream cheese balances the intensity of the fish. Fresh dill helps, but it's fine without.

Potato salad

A classic Northern European combination. Boiled potatoes, red onion, herring in pieces, mustard, and a bit of mayonnaise or plain yogurt. The fish's fat balances the potato's starch. Filling, easy to put together, and holds up in the fridge — good for making ahead.

Scrambled eggs

30 to 40g of herring in small pieces stirred into scrambled eggs changes the dish completely. Same idea as smoked salmon in Scandinavian breakfasts — adds protein and flavor for almost no extra effort. You bought herring, you have eggs, breakfast is sorted.

Herring pâté

Blend smoked herring with cream cheese, lemon juice, and pepper. The pâté keeps three to four days in the fridge and works with crackers or raw vegetables. If you've got leftover herring and no plan for it, this is the fastest way to use it up.

One use that doesn't work: herring as the main ingredient in a delicate, mild-flavored dish. The taste is too assertive for anything that depends on subtlety. It works when the dish can handle intensity — not when the goal is something light.

Herring vs sardines: which to buy

The most direct comparison: sardines win on convenience, herring wins on nutrient density.

Canned sardines are in every grocery store, cost little, and deliver solid omega-3, protein, and calcium from the soft bones. They're one of the most complete, affordable proteins you can keep in the pantry. Herring costs more, is harder to find, and has a stronger flavor — which narrows how you use it.

Where herring has the edge:

• Slightly more omega-3 per 100g (~1.7g vs ~1.0–1.5g for sardines)
• More natural vitamin D per serving
• No bones in the packaged smoked fillet — canned sardines sometimes have soft bones
• Ready to eat, no prep needed
• Stronger flavor — a smaller amount goes further in a dish

Where sardines win:

• Availability — on the shelf of nearly any grocery store
• Price — considerably cheaper per 100g
• Pantry life — a can sits on the shelf for a long time
• Versatility — works in more types of recipes

The practical takeaway: sardines are the pantry item you buy every month. Herring is the pick for variety, for trying something different, or for more omega-3 per serving without redoing the whole menu.

If sardines are already working in your pantry rotation, there's no need to switch. Herring is for when you want to expand the fish you keep on hand — not a replacement, more of an occasional addition.

Frequently asked questions about herring

• What is herring?

  Herring is a small, oily fish in the Clupeidae family — the same family as sardines and anchovies. The most common species is Clupea harengus, native to the North Atlantic. It's usually sold smoked, pickled, or canned. It has a stronger flavor than sardines and is rich in omega-3, vitamin D, and protein.

• What's the difference between herring and sardines?

  They're in the same family but different species. Herring is larger, has a stronger flavor — especially smoked — and has slightly more omega-3 per 100g (~1.7g vs 1.0–1.5g for sardines). Sardines have more calcium and are cheaper and easier to find. For everyday eating, sardines. For variety or more nutrients per serving, herring.

• Where can you buy herring?

  Smoked and canned herring show up in well-stocked supermarkets, usually near the canned fish aisle. Pickled herring in jars is common at Scandinavian, German, and Jewish delis, and online. Canned is the cheapest format; jarred pickled and vacuum-packed smoked fillets cost more.

• Does smoked herring have bones?

  Vacuum-packed smoked herring fillets are almost always boneless — filleted before smoking. Whole kippers, the traditional British breakfast format, still have small bones. Buy boneless fillets if you want to skip that step entirely.

• How do you cook with herring?

  Smoked or pickled herring doesn't need cooking. It works well in pasta with olive oil and lemon, on toast with cream cheese and capers, in a potato salad with red onion, folded into scrambled eggs, and in a pâté. The flavor is strong — use less than you would sardines and adjust to taste.

• Is herring good for you?

  Yes. It's rich in omega-3, vitamin D (one of the best natural food sources), vitamin B12, and protein. A 100g serving has about 24g of protein and 1.7g of omega-3. The smoked and pickled versions run high in sodium (~650–750mg per 100g), worth watching if you manage blood pressure.

• Is herring high in sodium?

  The smoked and pickled versions are, yes — usually 650 to 750mg per 100g. That comes from the curing process. If you watch sodium, keep the portion around 50g and balance the rest of the meal. Fresh herring has much less sodium but is hard to find away from the coast.