How to Cook Herring

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: February 25, 2023

You've probably seen pickled or cured herring, but might not know how to cook this popular fish. For an easy, flavorful dinner, mix together an herb filling and stuff the fillets with it. Set the stuffed herrings over sautéed onions and bake them until they're golden. You can also grill the herrings over high heat and serve them with a quick butter and vinegar sauce. If you prefer a crispy fish, coat the herring in breadcrumbs and fry them in a little butter.

Ingredients

Baked Spiced Herring Stuffed with Herbs

4 tablespoons (56 g) butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
½ cup (15 g) fresh herbs, chopped (such as dill, mint, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, chives, or thyme)
6 herring
2 lemons, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Herring With a Simple Sauce

Eight 3-ounce (75 g) herring fillets
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sunflower or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup (175 g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 servings

Crispy Fried Herring

2 herring fillets
1/4 cup (30 g) flour
1/4 cup (25 g) breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

Makes 1 serving

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Baked Spiced Herring Stuffed With Herbs

1
Preheat the oven and clean the herring. Turn on the oven to 450 °F (232 °C). Take 6 herring and use the blunt side of a knife to rub against the scales. The scales should flake and fall off. Slice each herring from its anal fin up towards its head. Use a small spoon to scoop out the guts of the fish and discard them. Rinse the herring.
- Most herring fillets are sold with the heads already removed. If your herring still have heads, use a sharp knife to cut them off.
2
Sauté the onion over medium heat. Set a skillet on the stove and put 2 tablespoons (28 g) of the butter into it. Turn the heat to medium and add 1 chopped onion. Stir and sauté the onion for about 7 minutes so it becomes soft.

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3
Stir together the herb filling. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and 1 shallot. Place the garlic and shallot in a mixing bowl along with ½ cup (15 g) of chopped fresh herbs. Stir the mixture until the herbs are evenly distributed.
- You can use a variety of herbs for a richer flavor. Try mixing dill, mint, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, chives, or thyme.
4
Spread the sautéed onion in a baking dish with lemon slices. Transfer the sautéed onions to the bottom of a large baking dish. Spread the onions evenly. Slice 2 lemons and place half of the slices over the onions.
5
Stuff the herring with the herbed filling. Hold a cleaned herring in the palm of one hand and use a spoon to stuff the herbed filling into it. Fill each of the herrings until you've used all of the herbed filling.
6
Arrange and season the herring in the dish. Lay each stuffed herring on top of the onions in your baking dish. Sprinkle salt and pepper according to your taste over the fish. Melt the last 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter and drizzle it over the herring. Arrange the rest of the lemon slices on top.
7
Bake the herring for 20 minutes. Put the dish of herring in the preheated oven and bake the fish for 20 minutes with the lid off. The fish should be completely heated throughout. Consider serving the fish with boiled new potatoes or rice.
- Avoid storing leftover baked herring because the stuffing will become soggy.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Grilled Herring With a Simple Sauce

1
Heat the grill to high heat. If you're using a gas grill, turn it on to high heat. If you're using a charcoal grill, prepare a chimney full of briquettes. Dump the hot, ashy coals into the center of the grill's grate.^{[1]
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2
Oil and season the herring. Get out eight 3-ounce (75 g) herring fillets and brush them with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of sunflower or vegetable oil. The oil will prevent them from sticking to the grill. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the fish according to your taste.^{[2]
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3
Lay the herring on the grill and cook the fish for 2 to 3 minutes. Place the herring fillets on the hot grill grate so the skin is facing up. Put the lid on the grill and cook the fish until it's completely cooked throughout. This should take 2 to 3 minutes.^{[3]
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4
Heat a cider vinegar and butter sauce. While the fish grills, measure 1/4 cup (60 ml) of apple cider vinegar into a small saucepan. Turn the heat to high, so it comes to a boil. Cut 3/4 cup (175 g) of chilled unsalted butter into small pieces and add a few of the pieces at a time to the hot vinegar. Whisk the mixture until the butter melts and becomes a smooth sauce. Season it with salt and pepper according to your taste.^{[4]
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5
Serve the grilled herring with simple sauce. Use a fish spatula to lift the grilled fish off of the grill. Place 2 herring fillets on each serving plate and drizzle a few spoonfuls of the simple sauce over the fish. Serve the fish while it's hot.^{[5]
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- Consider serving the grilled herring with potato salad or boiled new potatoes.
- If you'd like to store the leftover herring in the refrigerator, place it in an airtight container and use it within a few days.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Crispy Fried Herring

1
Dry the herring and combine the flour with the breadcrumbs. Get out 2 herring fillets and pat them dry on both sides using paper towels. Set a shallow plate or bowl on your work surface and measure 1/4 cup (30 g) of flour and 1/4 cup (25 g) of breadcrumbs into it. Stir the flour and breadcrumbs until they're combined.^{[6]
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2
Coat the herring in the dry mixture and season the fish. Lay each of the fillets in the dry breadcrumb mixture. Turn the fillets over so they're completely coated with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper according to your taste.^{[7]
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3
Heat butter in a heavy skillet. Place 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter into a heavy 10-inch (25-cm) skillet. Melt the butter over medium-high heat until it begins to foam up a little.^{[8]
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4
Add the herring and cook it for 3 minutes. Slowly lower the coated herring fillets into the skillet. Cook the herring for 3 minutes without turning or moving the fish.^{[9]
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5
Turn the herring and cook the fillets for another 3 minutes. Use a fish spatula or turner to carefully flip both of the fillets over. Let them cook for another 3 minutes. They should be golden brown on both sides.^{[10]
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6
Serve the crispy fried herring. Lay a paper towel on a plate and transfer the fried herring to the plate. To serve the fish, consider placing the fillets on a piece of bread. Serve the fish with tartar sauce, sliced red onion, and a wedge of lemon.^{[11]
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- Avoid storing leftover fried fish because it will become soggy.

Community Q&A

Question

Do I take the skin off?

Clheart

Community Answer

If you are frying or grilling the herring, you should take the skin off. If you are making stuffed herring, remove the scales but leave the skin on. For recipes not listed here, consult the author, but leaving the skin on is fine for everything else I can think of except fish pie.