Cooking fresh herring

seascene

Crew Member
Just wondering if anyone has tried actually cooking up fresh herring. I love them pickled but have never heard of anyone eating them fresh. Perhaps too oily a fish to do this. I tried to cook a Eulachon (ooligan) up near Rupert one year ... the smell took a week to get out of the interior of my boat.
 
My old man used to fry them up and eat them, much to the displeasure of everyone else in the house. That stink is still burned into my brain and I haven't smelled it since the 1970's. LOL
 
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Fresh oolies!!!! They are great! But even better smoked. My parents were Brits-- and loved fried herring, but they are so boney they never interested me.
 
My dad and I always got fresh herring fillets at the fish market and would just throw em on a coal bbq. just a couple minutes skin side down
 
I have had them pan fried like you would a trout. I remember being surprised how good they tasted, only downside is tons of small bones. You have to pull the back bone and rib bones out all together.
 
I remember as a little kid my dad buying smoked kippers and then pan frying them. Along side of some eggs and potatoes. Had lots for Sunday morning breakfast. Never had them again in my adult life. But I do remember the stink.
 
My grandparents used to fry them up occasionally. To many small bones and tons of pin worms put me off them.
 
My grandparents used to fry them up occasionally. To many small bones and tons of pin worms put me off them.


"Pin Worms" .... have seen white kind of worms in fish fillets but never heard about Pin Worms. I recollect from my Ontario fishing days that the worms were not a problem which cooking solved. From the posts sounds like herring relegated to bait.
 
I had them fried in Portugal and they were great. I prefer to clean them, store in salt brine for a few hours and then smoke them for 2 hours. I smoked a load a few weeks back from a ball-up. They're loaded with oil and it's easy to chew up the little bones.
 
Use to pan fry them up just like trout. Fresh they didn't stink. Kippers on the other hand tend to stink up the house.
 
I remember as a little kid my dad buying smoked kippers and then pan frying them. Along side of some eggs and potatoes. Had lots for Sunday morning breakfast. Never had them again in my adult life. But I do remember the stink.

You just brought some yummy memories back i remember that fish smokey and salty ate it the same way i really liked it as a kid i miss it i think ... i'm gonna
look for it or if anyone knows who sells it still , it's like bacon of the sea .

Google pic
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