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Overhead shot of a seafood dip made with smoked herring.
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5 from 5 votes

Creamy Smoked Herring Dip

This creamy smoked herring dip blends rich, smoky flavour with cream cheese, lemon and fresh herbs for the perfect seafood appetizer. Serve with crostini or crackers at cocktail parties, brunch buffets or game day.
Prep Time8 minutes
Cook Time7 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Servings: 4
Calories: 311kcal
Author: Michele Peterson
Cost: $15

Equipment

  • food processor
  • Knife
  • Large Mixing Bowl

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

Instructions

  • Bring the cream cheese to room temperature.
  • Poach the smoked herring in simmering water in a covered saucepan for 7 minutes (until fully cooked).
  • Drain and allow to cool until able to handle.
  • Remove any thick skin, debone by removing any large bones and flake with your fingers or a fork until the herring is in small pieces.
  • Combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, paprika, onion, sea salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
  • Fold in the flaked smoked herring, lemon zest and finely chopped dill. Stir until fully incorporated.
  • Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and lemon slices.
  • Serve with toasted bagel chips, crackers, pita chips or toasted baguette slices.

Notes

  1. If you use Whole Smoked Herring, soak in water in the refrigerator over night and then drain. Much like salted cod it needs to be soaked and drained to remove the salt. Then remove the head and tail and begin the poaching process.  You’ll need 400 grams of Whole Smoked Herring to compensate for the the herring that will be discarded. 
  2. After poaching the fish, taste the fish to determine level of saltiness. If too salty, allow it to soak in cold water for 60 minutes and drain. Repeat until it’s slightly salty but not overpowering. 
  3. Store up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator. 
Note: Nutrition values are estimates only as they are done by an online calculator. 

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 702mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1182IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg