Creamy Smoked Herring Dip

Name: Creamy Smoked Herring Dip
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces smoked herring fillets; 8 ounces cream cheese; 1/3 cup sour cream (low fat); 1/2 fresh lemon (for juice and zest); 1 clove fresh garlic crushed; 2 Tablespoons white onion finely chopped; 1 teaspoon paprika (reserve some for garnish); 1 teaspoon fresh dill (finely chopped plus a few sprigs for garnish); 1/8 teaspoon sea salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

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This creamy smoked herring dip blends rich, smoky flavour with cream cheese and herbs for the perfect seafood appetizer.

Serve it with crostini and cocktails for an elegant snack that’s ideal for holiday parties, brunch buffets or whenever you’re looking for something special.

Creamy smoked herring dip in a pottery bowl with lemon slices and bread.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe for smoked fish dip with cream cheese is inspired by the seafood spreads you’ll find in the Florida Keys.

But smoked herring recipes are popular throughout the world. When herring is smoked it has a rich, savoury flavour with a hint of saltiness, all wrapped up by the depth of natural wood smoke.

If you like smoked salmon , you’ll like this dish too.

It’s soft and creamy, with a fabulous fresh lemon and dill flavour.
Enjoy this fish dip on a picnic or as a boating snack. It’s highly portable, nutritious and not messy.
You’ll love how easy it is to make.
Whip it up a few days in advance and keep refrigerated until ready to enjoy.
Bring a global flavour into your kitchen. During a trip to the fishing village of Cap-Pelé in New Brunswick, we learned that Canadian smoked herring is exported to the Caribbean where it’s popular in traditional dishes of Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Grenada.

So grab a stack of crackers, bagel chips or your favourite crostini, make this creamy smoked dip and discover the delicious flavour of smoked herring.

Ingredients

Here are the highlights of what you need to make this creamy smoked herring dip recipe. You’ll find the full ingredient list and quantities in the recipe card (please scroll down).

White Onion: Mild Spanish white onion contributes a pungent and crisp, slightly sweet flavour that complements the smoked herring.

Lemon: A splash of lemon and lemon zest provide a burst of citrusy freshness and also tenderizes the fish.

Sour Cream: Adds a tangy, creamy flavour and velvety texture that lightens the richness of the dip.

Cream Cheese: Contributes a rich, slightly tangy flavor with a dense texture that adds thickness and body to the dip. It should brought to room temperature for this recipe.

Paprika: Adds a mild, slightly sweet, and earthy flavour with a subtle warmth, along with a vibrant red colour that enhances the visual appeal of the dip. I prefer a hot Spanish paprika but Hungarian also works well.

Dill: Adds a fresh, herbaceous flavour and aromatics that complement the natural oils of the smoked herring.

Smoked Herring: This recipe calls for fillets of Canadian smoked herring, which has a drier, firmer texture than British smoked fish. Scottish kippers have a milder flavour and are brine-dyed using natural annatto dye which gives them a yellow/orange colour.

What is Smoked Herring

New Brunswick smoked herring in a wooden box ready for export to the Caribbean. (Credit: Francisco Sanchez)

Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), a member of the Clupeidae family, is one of the most abundant fish species globally.

During our New England cruise, we learned how the herring fishery has played a significant role in the economies of New England and the Atlantic provinces of Canada.

When you’re shopping for herring, look for Canadian smoked herring. It’s prized due to the pristine coastal waters, which produce herring with a clean, rich flavour.

The Acadian traditional smoking methods, emphasizing natural wood smoke and processes, enhances the fish’s natural taste.

Smoked herring in an Acadian smokehouse in Cap Pele New Brunswick. — The traditional Acadian method of smoking herring involves smoking the fish for 5 to 6 weeks over smokefires of hard wood and saw dust. (Credit: Michele Peterson)

Almost all of the smoked herring produced in Canada comes from smokehouses in Cap-Pelé in southeastern New Brunswick.

The Bas-Cap-Pelé region faces the Northumberland Strait, the body of water separating Prince Edward Island from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

In Cap-Pelé smokehouses, herring are strung on long poles called cannes for smoking. (Credit: Michele Peterson)

The waters off this coast are an important spawning shoal for herring. For generations, local families have operated smokehouses, salting and smoking these tiny fish as both an important Acadian cultural tradition and commercial industry.

Today there are over 20 smokehouses (boucanières) in the Cap Pelé area producing 95% of Canada’s smoked herring.

Where to Buy Smoked Herring

You can buy smoked herring in the deli case of the fish department at major supermarkets or at your local fish monger. Smoked herring is sold refrigerated, unlike dried salted cod that’s stored at room temperature.

This recipe calls for herring fillets. If you can only find whole smoked herring, soak it in water in the refrigerator overnight and then drain. Much like salted cod it needs to be soaked and drained to remove the salt. Then remove the head and tail.

In Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick, you can buy smoked herring fillets at the Marché au Corner Market Freshmart on Acadie Road (Google Map). It’s a 5-minute drive from the Smokehouse Museum (Musée de la Boucanière), one of the top attractions in Cap-Pelé.

How to Make Creamy Smoked Herring Dip

This smoked herring recipe is really easy to make, but let’s go through it step by step. For the full method, please scroll down to the recipe card.

Cook the smoked herring by poaching it in water before eating it.

Poach the smoked herring filets in simmering water in a covered saucepan for 7 minutes (or until fully cooked). Drain and allow it to cool.

Remove any thick skin from the fish. Debone by removing any large bones. Flake with your fingers or a fork until the herring is in small pieces.

Blending cream cheese with spices in a food processor.

4. Combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, paprika, chopped onion, sea salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.

Folding in herring to cream cheese mixture with lemon zest to make dip.

5. Fold in the flaked smoked herring, lemon zest and finely chopped dill.

6. Stir until fully incorporated. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

7. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and lemon slices.

Smoked herring dip in a pottery bowl served with lemon slices.

Tips and Storage

Taste the fish to determine level of saltiness after cooking it. If too salty, allow it to soak in cold water for 60 minutes and drain. It should be slightly salty but not overpowering.
Smoked herring varies in the number of bones. Flaking the fish with your fingers will help you to find them easily.
Don’t over mix the herring and cream cheese mixture. For the best texture, fold it in and stir rather than whip it.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I don’t recommend freezing this dip. But you can do much of the prep in advance. For example, cook the smoked herring, cool, shred and freeze it. Then just thaw and use in the recipe as indicated.

Popular Variations

Smoked herring recipes are enjoyed worldwide, with traditional dishes featuring this tasty fish found from Egypt to the Caribbean.

Here’s how you can bring some of those global flavours into your kitchen.

Smoked Fish Spread

To make a spread similar to the one served at Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish Restaurant in St. Petersburg, FL (seen on Diners, Drive-In and Dives), substitute mayonnaise for the sour cream, add sweet relish, chopped celery and a dash of hot sauce. Serve it with saltines as you might with shrimp ceviche.

Florida Smoked Fish Dip

To make this into a Florida Smoked Fish Dip similar to what you’d find in a Florida Keys restaurant, swap whitefish for herring. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, a few dashes of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Serve with saltine crackers.

Egyptian Renga (Ringa)

Add plain yogurt and tahini (2:1 ratio), swap red onion for white, increase the lime juice and omit the paprika. Serve with pita chips.

Fish Dip (Not Smoked)

If you’re not keen on smoked fish, just substitute it with a combo of equal parts white fish and tinned fish (like anchovies, tuna, salmon or canned sardines). Add capers or chopped chives and a teaspoon of olive oil.

Caribbean Dishes

Smoked herring is also enjoyed in the traditional dishes of Dominican Republic such as locrio de arenque (rice with herring) and arneque con huevo (herring with egg) as well as typical foods of Martinique, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, and St. Lucia.

Serving Suggestions

A smoked fish dip with lemon slices and crostini.

Garnish with lemon slices, fresh dill and green onion to serve with crostini, toasted bagel slices or crackers.
Smoked fish dips make the perfect centerpiece on a tinned fish platter or “seacuterie” appetizer tray with a whole smoked trout and Spanish marinated cod tapas.
Pack it for a picnic or a boating snack. It’s easy to carry, nutritious, and mess-free.
Enjoy it paired with a Mezcal Paloma cocktail, Hibiscus Iced Tea or one of these popular boating drinks.

Recipe

FAQs

What are other names for smoked herring?

In the Caribbean, salted and smoked herring is commonly known as arenque, smoked herrin’ and red herring. In Europe, it’s also called kippers (split, salted, and smoked herring), bloaters (whole, lightly smoked herring), or buckling (hot-smoked, gutted herring).

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