Herring Archives - Sardeenz!

Bar Harbor Natural Smoked Wild Kippers

These Bar Harbor Natural Smoked Wild Kippers came from Whole Foods, where they were on sale. Amazon Prime membership reduced the price even further, to $3.28.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

About as expected for kippers, aka kipper snacks. The aroma is both smoky and a little fishy, but not in a bad way. A sip of the salted packing water reveals the fish has imparted some flavor that gives the impression of a seafood broth. The bronze appearance confirms the claim of natural wood smoke. I see what appears to be bones protruding from the middle, but it turns out just to be a bit of fin.

Let's Eat

I'm able to coerce the entire contents out over rice in one big chunk. It's the typical four fillets, about 5 inches long each, skin on. Getting it all out of the tin in one piece meant the packing liquid all came out, too, but I had intended to pour some over the fish anyway.

The flavor is no surprise. Smoky, salty, mild fish. The salty packing liquid has kept the meat moist, or perhaps "made" it moist. This tin conforms to the usual form factor for herring. A little light at 6.7oz, but the drained weight is listed at the typical-for-herring 130gm, about two-thirds of the net weight.

Most tins like this are labeled as two servings, but this one calls it only one. I usually consume an entire can regardless, so it doesn't matter to me. It helps to be a little extra hungry.

Having said that, I need to find a different way to enjoy kippers/kipper snacks than just basically plain. Although I appreciate natural wood smoke whenever possible, in this case, it became a little fatiguing towards the end of the tin.

The salt level is listed as 364mg. for the entire can. That's about average, and I didn't find it to be a problem. A little extra saltiness is to be expected with kippered herring, though.

Well, that makes three cans of herring in a row, and I'll have to say the MW Polar Smoked Herring with Pepper was the all-around winner of the bunch. Now, to see what else is in the stash for next time.

Main Takeaways

Generous portion
Good smoke flavor, but a little fatiguing towards the end
Priced well, even not on sale

Brand: Bar Harbor Foods
Description: Natural smoked wild kippers
Species: Clupea harengus
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 6.7 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

Rugen Fisch Herring Fillets in Mustard Sauce

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These Rugen Fisch Herring Fillets in Mustard Sauce came from World Market one of the last times I visited there. They were priced $4.29 on the shelf but rang up as $4.99. When I pointed out the discrepancy to the cashier, the only response was, "Do you still want them?" No apology or offer to adjust the amount manually to the posted price. My personal experience in retail and customer goodwill taught me that leaving a bad taste in a customer's mouth isn't worth 70 cents, a lesson World Market would do well to learn. Moving on.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.7/5.

The fish are obscured by a mass of gloppy mustard. There's an oily sheen which the package reveals is canola oil. The aroma is vinegary, mustardy. The look and feel is similar to the seasonal herring offerings at Aldi. Even in removing them from the tin, getting a look at the fillets themselves is not possible due to the copious amount of mustard sauce.

Digging In

Perhaps not a traditional serving style, but I put the fish over rice. The fillets tended to break apart lifting them from the can. It appears to be about four separate fillets, but they are glued together by the mustard. Prying them apart with a fork reveals skin left on all.

There was quite a bit of mustard sauce left in the tin, and I only felt the need to add less than half of it to the fish and rice, as so much had already clung to the fillets themselves. A net drained weight is not given on the carton.

As you might surmise, the taste is mainly of the mustard, which I assume is a German style, somewhere between plain yellow and Dijon. It is smooth, not grainy. The herring, not being smoked, is mild enough that its inherent flavor stood no chance against the sauce.

The taste is not overly salty. The carton lists 520mg. sodium, but is unclear if that's per serving (two per can) or for the entire contents.

If you don't mind the preponderance of mustard, this is a filling tin of fish. Even at the increased price, they still represented a decent value, although the ones from Aldi were less than $2 for the same size tin. And I liked them better.

Main Takeaways

Generous portion
Mustard overpowers the fish flavor
Cheaper alternatives elsewhere

Brand: Rugen Fisch
Description: Herring Fillets in Mustard Sauce
Country of Origin: Germany
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 7.05 oz.
Price Range: $5

MW Polar Smoked Herring with Pepper

DeenLeave a comment

This MW Polar Smoked Herring with Pepper came from Walmart. I've been happy with other MW Polar tinned fish products do far, and hoped this one wouldn't be an exception. For $3.58 for a 7oz. tin, it was hard to pass up. Let's see how it tastes.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The appearance of the contents mirrors the representation of it on the can more closely than about any other I've seen to date. It's a generous portion. The meat has a bronze coloration suggesting natural smoke. The aroma is similarly smoky. Tiny bits of finely diced red pepper dot the surface of the fillets. A sip of the packing brine is broth-like and tinged with smoke flavor.

Let's Eat

The fillets lift out of the tin largely intact. On closer inspection, it's three fillets with skin on the bottom. There's a good deal of the broth/brine left in the tin, and I poured about half over the fish and rice. Net drained weight accounts for 130gm. of the 200gm. total.

The meat has a good smoke flavor, and the brine has kept it moist and juicy. The last ingredient on the list is beechwood smoke, and since I don't see a claim of natural smoking, I have to assume it's just an added flavoring. Nonetheless, it doesn't taste artificial or acrid, so that's a plus.

The pepper content appears confined to the red pepper and some paprika, but there is an impression of black pepper to the seasoning as well. The salt level is just right, coming in at 360mg. for the entire, two serving can.

Main Takeaways

Generous portion
Tender, juicy fish
Good smoke flavor

All things considered, a satisfying tin of smoked herring, seasoned well, and a bargain at under $4.

Brand: MW Polar
Description: Smoked herring with pepper
Species: Clupea harengus
Country of Origin: Germany
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 7.05 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Beach Cliff Herring Fillets Kipper Style Snacks

DeenLeave a comment

Lately, I've been looking at some odd places for sardines and other tinned fish. I expect selection will be low, but always hope for something interesting. These Beach Cliff Herring Fillets Kipper Style Snacks were found at a dollar store. Nothing special, but for $1.50, worth a try.

The packaging doesn't match that on the store's website, but these are well in date, with a best by of 9/28.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

A little loose on the packing, but the stated net weight of 3.53 oz. is well within the range typical of kipper snacks. The aroma of the "natural smoke flavoring" hits you first. The appearance, however, is enough to confirm it hasn't been truly wood smoked. A sip of the broth echoes the aroma.

Let's Dig In

Over rice isn't a typical way to enjoy kipper snacks, but it doesn't add or subtract anything from the fish, so it's a good way to assess flavor.

The fish is quite moist and tender, not unusual for this type of herring.

I found the smoke flavor palatable enough, and didn't think it overpowered the flavor of the fish.

Kipper style herring is inherently salty, and the 500mg. of sodium was not unexpected. But it didn't seem excessive.

Main Takeaways

Typical herring kipper snacks
Acceptable salt and smoke
Cheap

Kipper snacks are a good, low calorie, inexpensive tinned fish. Although the MW Polar remains a favorite, most brands are acceptable.

Brand: Bumble Bee Seafoods / Beach Cliff
Description: Herring fillets kipper style
Species: Clupea Harengus
Country of Origin: Canada
Source: FAO21, Northwest Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.53 oz.
Price Range: < $2

Wildfish Cannery Smoked Herring

DeenLeave a comment

This Wildfish Cannery Smoked Herring came from Caputo's. My experience with herring to date has largely been confined to kipper snacks and a few tins where herring is sold as sardines. This herring is expensive by comparison to those. But a take on smoked herring from a small cannery piqued my interest.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Compared to smoked salmon from this and similar sources, the visual is kind of unappealing. There is some skin, as well as visible spines and soft bones. Rather than a rich mahogany, the smoke has only reinforced the dull brown hue of the herring.

The aroma of smoke is pleasant enough. A sip of the packing liquid (no oil is listed) is reminiscent of a smoky seafood broth. The ingredients list includes sea salt, brown sugar, garlic, black pepper and alderwood smoke.

Digging In

The fish is in small chunks which tend to fall apart as they are picked out of the tin. From what I've read, the loins are cut into smaller chunks before smoking, I assume in order to maximize the smoke exposure.

The bones and spines are easy enough to overlook as they are soft enough to be relatively undetectable on the palate.

The fish doesn't seem overly salty. The sodium level is listed as a surprisingly low 170mg. But then I note the can is considered two servings, so per can it lands somewhat near average.

I expected the brown sugar to play a bigger part in the flavor profile, but the smoke predominated. Not overwhelmingly, just the most forward of anything listed.

Main Takeaways

Visually kind of blah
Smoke level forward but not cloying
Other seasonings overshadowed by the smoke

I'm glad I gave this a try, but all things considered I'd have to say I prefer smoked herring in the kipper snacks style, which also has the benefit of being comparatively quite inexpensive. Oh, well.

Some Random Thoughts on Marketing

You've probably noticed by now the use of eye-catching graphics by some smaller (and not so small) boutique canneries, two from Alaska come to mind.

I find puzzling the phenomenon of taking an already premium-priced product and making it even more costly by printing extensive graphics on the inside of the carton.

In this particular case, the ingredients, already noted three times on the outside, are repeated on four panels inside. Two company logos are printed on bottom flaps that will never be seen unless the carton is completely disassembled, something most people doubtfully ever do. That the fish are packed by hand is noted no less than ten times on both outer and inner panels.

I guess, once you've decided to print on both sides of something, the only added cost is the ink.

Brand: Wildfish Cannery
Description: Smoked Herring
Species: Alaska Herring
Country of Origin: USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $8

Aldi Herring in Curry Pineapple Sauce

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Was back at Aldi today, and although I said I probably wouldn't, I did go ahead and buy these Herring Fillets in Curry Pineapple Sauce.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3.5/5.

Contrary to the image on the can (and to reviews you may have seen elsewhere), there are no chunks of pineapple (or anything else) in the sauce. The ingredients, like the Mango Pepper Sauce version, list tomato paste as a component, but the taste of it is not evident. Oddly, this one also lists mango chutney among its ingredients.

Anyway, like the Mango Pepper version, the sauce is mildly sweet and you might be hard-pressed to say just what the fruit flavor of it is if you hadn't read the can. Unlike the Mango Pepper, there is no heat to this one. I also can't really tell where the "curry" comes from. Suffice it to say it's just a pleasant, mildly fruity sauce.

I liked these just about as much as the Mango Pepper version-- maybe less-so-- as I preferred the bit of heat in that other one. At $1.69 for a 7.05oz. can, you really can't lose.

ps. I skipped the Tomato Sauce version as the picture on the can made it look like a huge, unappealing glop of ketchup on the fish. Meh...

Brand: Deutsche Kuche
Description: Herring Fillets in Curry Pineapple Sauce
Species: Clupea Harengus
Country of Origin: Germany
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 7.05 oz.
Price Range: $2

Brunswick Sardines in Olive Oil with Hot Peppers

DeenLeave a comment

Picked up these Brunswick Sardines in Olive Oil with Hot Peppers by mistake thinking they were the Sardine Fillets in Olive Oil (and knowing that they were actually herring). I had tried the Boneless Skinless (Pilchards) in Olive Oil with Mild Red Pepper, so it was a chance to at least try these.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

The package lists serrano pepper as the heat source. Although there are only a few bits of it in the can, the heat is quite pronounced. (As opposed to the whole peppers in the Mild Red Pepper pilchards.) I'm used to spicy foods, and these had me reaching for a plain cracker to tone down the after-burn.

The other thing I noticed that I may have overlooked on the plain "in olive oil" version is that these aren't really "in" olive oil. They just have droplets of oil on the surface of whatever brine/juice these are packed in. Olive oil is the second ingredient on the package listing, so one would assume it should be the second-most amount of the overall make-up. But I really don't see it. Also, "serrano peppers" should really just say "pepper" as it's only the slightest bits of pieces and seeds. But they do really spice it up. I can't imagine how hot they'd be if there was any more.

Anyway, if you like the heat, these might fill the bill for you.

See it on Amazon

Brand: Bumble Bee Seafoods/Brunswick
Description: Sardine Fillets in Olive Oil with Hot Peppers
Species: Herring
Country of Origin: Canada
Source: FAO21, Northwest Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $2