NorCal Kayak Anglers

General => Recipes => Topic started by: Malibu_Two on January 28, 2018, 02:17:00 PM

Title: Herring Recipes
Post by: Malibu_Two on January 28, 2018, 02:17:00 PM
So far I've been pickling and grilling my herring but am interested in other methods of preparation.
Has anyone tried frying their herring? Any particular tips or techniques?
Thanks!
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: spinal tap on January 28, 2018, 03:43:58 PM
Frying is our traditional first herring meal of the season. Rough chop a heap of garlic.  I pick out the smaller ones to fry and I make diagonal cuts in the bigger ones.  Scale and gut but still with heads on, then lightly season with salt while heating up the oil.  Fry the garlic till golden brown and remove from oil and set aside.  After the oil gets to about 320 or so, fry the fish for a few minutes.   Remove the fish and bring oil up to 350+ and put fish back in to crisp them up.  Sprinkle the garlic on top before serving.  We like to make a little Thai inspired dip to go with the fried fish.  Fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, sugar, chiiles. 

The heads are the best part.  I would save the heads and fry them separate. 
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: chopper on January 28, 2018, 04:28:30 PM
I did this recipe for herring fried in oats. It was good, but next time I'll process the steel cut oats a little more. The oat bits were still a little big. https://honest-food.net/fresh-herring-recipe-fried/

I also just saw a recipe that I plan on trying - I guess a place called Rich Table in SF is offering a $2 potato chip appetizer. They take a slice of russet potato and cut two slits in it and weave a sardine filet through the slits and then deep fry the whole thing. Seems like herring would work just as well. I plan on trying a regular filet and one of the pickled - I think the latter should come out like a fishy salt and vinegar chip. I'll post up how it comes out.

Cheers,
Brad
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: hightide on January 28, 2018, 06:48:16 PM
Beer battered fried was my first taste. Now working on smoking them with hickory and vacuum sealing them for storage.
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: hightide on January 28, 2018, 06:59:38 PM
Frying:  no need to scale and gut . The roe fried inside the gut are good. Just wash, soak in your favorite batter mix n deep fry them. Tasty and crunchy.

Smoked:  no need to scale n gut. Just wash, salt and smoke in your favorite chips. Usually eaten for breakfast with rice and dipping sauce made with 2 spoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and a couple of drops of tobasco.
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: polepole on January 28, 2018, 07:32:05 PM
Salted and dried.  Tuyo!

Or Salted and dried, then packed in spicy vinegar.  Spicy Tuyo!

I'm making fermented fish sauce right now, but I've never done it before, so can't tell you how it will work out.

-Allem
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: hightide on January 28, 2018, 07:57:12 PM
I made tuyo last summer too.  Fried them then soaked them in olive oil n Thai peppers inside mason jars for Gourmet Tuyo.
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: hightide on January 28, 2018, 08:23:16 PM
Thread jack but anyone use dehydrators to dry fish in the winter? 
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: polepole on January 29, 2018, 06:12:54 AM
Thread jack but anyone use dehydrators to dry fish in the winter?

Yup.

-Allen
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: Malibu_Two on February 20, 2018, 06:26:32 AM
Salted and dried.  Tuyo!

Or Salted and dried, then packed in spicy vinegar.  Spicy Tuyo!

I'm making fermented fish sauce right now, but I've never done it before, so can't tell you how it will work out.

-Allem

Allem, how did the fish sauce come out? And can you offer a recipe? My brother has been making Roman garum for the past 5 months in big glass jars. Garum is made from salted, fermented anchovies (and in this case some herring). You eventually strain an amber-colored liquid off the dissolving fish paste. 
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: Spring45 on February 20, 2018, 06:37:04 AM
I just put them whole on my Traeger with some mixed wood pellets. A little habanero sea salt for a little kick and smoke em on 225 for 3 1/2-4 hours until they are crisp flakey. Legit!!
Sliced them up with a little chopped onion, tomato and some salted egg over rice.
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: matanaska on February 20, 2018, 07:40:21 AM
Y'all don't gut or descale them before smoking? 
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: Eddie on February 20, 2018, 08:07:16 AM
Y'all don't gut or descale them before smoking?
Yes, descaled and gutted for me..wish they would debone easily at the tail end when finished... :smt006
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: polepole on February 20, 2018, 08:44:32 AM
Salted and dried.  Tuyo!

Or Salted and dried, then packed in spicy vinegar.  Spicy Tuyo!

I'm making fermented fish sauce right now, but I've never done it before, so can't tell you how it will work out.

-Allem

Allem, how did the fish sauce come out? And can you offer a recipe? My brother has been making Roman garum for the past 5 months in big glass jars. Garum is made from salted, fermented anchovies (and in this case some herring). You eventually strain an amber-colored liquid off the dissolving fish paste.

They are still fermenting.  It will be months before it is ready.  I used a ratio of 1.5# of herring, 2 cups non-chlorinated water, 3 Tbsp sea salt.  The herring was run through a sausage grinder.  It fermented pretty good for the first 2-3 weeks, had to burp twice a day.  Boy was that smelly.  By week 4, it had completely liquified, and is a gray/pink slurry, and not quite as smelly any more.

-Allen
Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: Malibu_Two on February 27, 2018, 08:55:26 AM
Two successful herring experiments this week:

1. Herring ceviche! It worked great. Somehow it was stuck in my mind that I needed big hunks of halibut or lingcod to make ceviche, but trimmed and scaled herring fillets (skin on) cut into 1/2" pieces worked great. I trimmed off the tails and fins as well as the rib bones, but the pin bones were fine. Ribs probably would have been fine too. I think the citrus softens them significantly.

I let it soak for 6 hours in the citrus bath as I'm not sure how safe it would be to eat raw-ish herring. No pics, but it's absolutely worth it for anyone craving ceviche in the winter months or if your white meat stocks are low.

2. Panko fried herring fillets: Scale the herring, then fillet. Trim the blood and guts away. I left the tails and fins intact. Roll in flour, then egg, then panko crumbs. Fry in hot oil on each side until crispy brown. Place on cookie racks to let the oil drip away. This prevents the bottom side from getting soggy. A little squeeze of lime and you're set.

See pic...

Title: Re: Herring Recipes
Post by: Eddie on February 27, 2018, 12:31:09 PM
Lookin' onolicious....