# Sea Lions and Herring



## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Last year, a friend who had a subsistance permit to gill net herring invited me to gillnet herring in our bay. I really love the store-bought sardines in mustard and tomato sauce so I bottled some and tried to duplicate the mustard sauce. The internet had very few recipes of sardine/herring recipes. I tried a few plain recipes but they were basically, "add a dollop of mustard and bottle as usual". My tomato sauce/tabasco herring turned out great but the mustard bottles had no mustard taste to them.
This year we have a raft of about 15-20 Stellar sea lions working the clouds of herring here. It was fun to watch them charge into the black clouds of fish and see herring boiling, flashing silver and flipping into the air. 









I don't have a subsistence permit to gillnet but after calling the G&F, I found out I could dipnet them with my license for personal use. The only problem was herring were too far out for a dipnet and I couldn't get close to them with a boat.
One morning I saw a line of eagles, crows and gulls standing along the shore. The sea lions had the herring herded up against the shore. The herring were frantically boiling and splashing up onto the shore where the birds were snapping them up. It was quite a sight!









I walked down to the shore and the lions backed off a bit. They were mad. They barked and huffed. Their bark(?) sounds like a long, deep belch. I stepped into the water and my boots were surrounded by herring.









I hurried and grabbed my dipnet and took advantage of the herring so close to shore.









It took me three dips to get half a bucket.









The mustard herring I bottled last year didn't taste like I wanted and I couldn't find a decent recipe for herring/sardines in mustard so I got a hold of Goob Le Chef Extraordinaire. He had nothing :shock: but told me mustard is just mustard powder, vinegar and salt. I have all that in my cupboard. 
I'm just going to have to experiment.
After beheading and gutting 243 little herring, I had had enough and bagged the rest up for bait for this summer. Here's a few.









I numbered my jars and put mustard powder in each one in 1/8th tsp incriments. All my half pint jar had 1 tsp of vinagar, 1/8 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of garlic powder. All the others had 2 Tbsp of tomato paste and 1/2 tsp of Tabasco. I filled my jars and put them in the pressure cooker for 100 minutes.









The next morning I tested them. The mustard herring turned out great! Except, again, very little mustard flavor. Dang! I was disappointed. The herring in tomato and Tabasco, again, turned out great. Good strong tomato taste with just enough Tabasco flavor. I'm done with the mustard thing though.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

That looks like one helluva good time! Thanks for sharing. Hopefully the mustard sardines turn out for ya


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Ever tried sour cream herring?A good seller at our store.Or herring in wine?Wish I had a recipe for ya.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Sorry for the jumbled post. I kept hitting "post" instead of "preview" before I was done. :?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Ya took the guts out; prolly rooin them.

JK, Beautiful job


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

That looks fun.
If you decide to try the mustard variety again try home ground mustard seed instead of the store bought powder.
I make my own prepared mustard and grind my own seeds because the store bought powder is so bland. I buy the seeds from Amazon (I use yellow, brown and black are progressively spicier) give them a coarse grind and mix it up.
Most prepared mustards have some turmeric, garlic powder and onion powder in them also.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Cooky said:


> That looks fun.
> If you decide to try the mustard variety again try home ground mustard seed instead of the store bought powder.
> I make my own prepared mustard and grind my own seeds because the store bought powder is so bland. I buy the seeds from Amazon (I use yellow, brown and black are progressively spicier) give them a coarse grind and mix it up.
> Most prepared mustards have some turmeric, garlic powder and onion powder in them also.


I just tried it for the first time after Goob told me about it. It was easy! I didn't use mustard seed but I'm going to get some and try. 
Do you have a favorite brown mustard recipe? .....or two.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

Have you thought about making pickled herring, like they make in Northern Europe?


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Funny you should say that Massmanute. I just got a shipment of spices for canning/pickling in the mail and I was looking for recipes for pickled salmon and herring. I won't be able to pickle herring until the next run (next month?) but I'm planning on pickling some salmon here pretty quick. Do you have any good recipes?


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

longbow said:


> I just tried it for the first time after Goob told me about it. It was easy! I didn't use mustard seed but I'm going to get some and try.
> Do you have a favorite brown mustard recipe? .....or two.


I just saw this, here's a best guess at the last (best so far) batch of yellow mustard I made.

1-1/2 cups mustard seed ground a little
1/2 cup mustard powder
Mix these with water to thick paste and let it hang out on the counter for a day or two, this does affect the flavor. You will have to keep adding a little water as the mustard soaks it up. Don't get it too wet cause...
After it has sat for a while add vinegar until the consistency makes you happy.
Mix in:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika

Have you seen this guy's site? Pretty good reading:
http://honest-food.net/2010/10/18/how-to-make-mustard/

I don't know about pickled herring but I'll bet homemade kippered herring could be wonderful.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Thanks Cooky. I just got some Coleman mustard powder and some brown mustard seeds. I have all the other stuff so I'm going to try it right now. I'll let you know how it turns out.


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

Back to herring, I've been wanting to try this:
http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-smoked-fish.html
Of coarse no herring down here, I'm going to try it with planter rainbows.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

massmanute said:


> Have you thought about making pickled herring, like they make in Northern Europe?


Yer killin me.

I have dozens, perhaps tens of thousands, of pickled fish recipes. 

.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

longbow said:


> Funny you should say that Massmanute. I just got a shipment of spices for canning/pickling in the mail and I was looking for recipes for pickled salmon and herring. I won't be able to pickle herring until the next run (next month?) but I'm planning on pickling some salmon here pretty quick. Do you have any good recipes?


I don't think I have any pickled herring recipes. I've never made it, but I have eaten several versions in Sweden, and enjoyed them very much. I read somewhere that during the Holidays there is a place in Sweden that has a smorgasbord that includes more than 200 different versions of pickled herring.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

longbow said:


> Thanks Cooky. I just got some Coleman mustard powder and some brown mustard seeds. I have all the other stuff so I'm going to try it right now. I'll let you know how it turns out.


I tried your recipe except I used 1 cup mustard powder and one cup brown mustard seed powder. That the only kinds I had. By dang, that's the best mustard I've ever had. My wife loved it too. Thanks.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

How about a herring ceviche?

By the way, there is a song I really like called Shoals of Herring written by Ewan MacColl. It's about a old herring fisherman looking back at his hard life on the sea. The best rendition is probably the one by Luke Kelly, may he RIP.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Ceviche? By dang, I make some killer halibut or salmon ceviche! I hadn't thought of using herring though. Might have give it a try.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

massmanute said:


> How about a herring ceviche?


In the Netherlands, street vendors routinely sell 2 types of herring. Pickled herring is one, as discussed above. Since I don't like pickled stuff, I never cared much for this type. The other is what is called "nieuwe haring" which is a raw herring made ceviche style, usually served with some onions. These were delicious IMO.

Might be something to look into.

Here is a little more on the subject.

http://eatyourworld.com/destinations/europe/the_netherlands/amsterdam/what_to_eat/haring


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