Herring Cooking Mistakes: Why This Fish Is Best Left Salted

Herring is a regular item on store shelves. It is affordable, popular, and in its salted form has long become a national delicacy. However, as soon as thermal processing of this fish is mentioned, experienced cooks and fishermen reluctantly shake their heads. Unlike pike or zander, herring is almost never fried and is not used as a base for fish soup. This is not a matter of fashion, but a purely technological barrier that turns delicate fillet into a culinary nightmare. Fat Content Factor: Why the Broth Is Hopeless The main feature of herring is its extreme fat content. Depending on the season of catch and the specific type, fat content ranges from 16 to 34%. For comparison, traditional catches of large pike or perch provide dietary meat ideal for clear broth. Herring behaves differently when boiled. The high concentration of fat makes the soup cloudy, and the surface becomes covered with a dense oily film that looks utterly unappetizing. "Herring is a very specific fish. It contains too much fat, which oxidizes quickly when heated. If for salting this is an advantage, creating that delicate texture, then for hot dishes it is a sure way to ruin a meal,” noted Pavel Smirnov in an interview with Pravda.Ru.