Herring

Herring swimming into our fjords is an important event for Norway’s coastal communities. People would gather by the docks in anticipation, awaiting the herring. When the boats approached, eager shouts of “The herring is here!” would spread into a chant. They would then fill every bucket, barrel and cart with the silvery fish.

As fishing goes, herring fishing is pretty straightforward, if not necessarily easy. Fishermen take their boats out into the open seas, locate a school of herring, throw out a large net and haul up the catch. 

There are many good reasons for increasing the amount of herring in your diet - your health, your taste buds and the planet will thank you for it. It’s tasty, nutritious and has an appealing texture, and it can be grilled, boiled or fried. It is also particularly suited to preservation by pickling, salting and smoking.

Nowadays, the Atlantic herring is mostly associated with traditional food in Northern Europe, but this shiny and delicious fish is swimming back onto dinner plates, into sandwiches and salads all over the world.