We tell you how to choose herring in a store or at the market and what to pay attention to in order to avoid bad consequences.
Rarely is a holiday complete without herring – either as an appetizer, or the beloved “Shuba” by many. In order not to spoil your feast and avoid bad consequences, you should take a responsible approach to the choice of herring: choose not only tasty, but also fresh. You can determine the quality of fish without trying it – by its appearance. What herring should be like in a vacuum and by weight – we describe below.
How to choose the right herring
You can buy herring either from a barrel or in a vacuum. First, look at its appearance:
- fresh fish has a thick back, an even body and dark red gills;
- the surface is solid and without damage;
- the meat is elastic and holds its shape, if you press on it, it should return to its original shape, if this does not happen, then the herring is overripe or is not suitable for food at all;
- the fish’s eyes are clear and not sunken;
- weight – from 400 g.
If you buy herring in a vacuum:
- look at the label – the composition should contain only fish, salt and spices, no preservatives;
- pay attention to the expiration date;
- the packaging must be intact – it is better to avoid buying fish in damaged or swollen packaging.
There is no need to take herring with yellow spots or a white coating on the scales, if there is an unpleasant sour smell, if the scales are sticky or very slippery.
By the way, the definition that a good herring has red eyes is not true. Most likely, such fish have simply been in salt for a long time and therefore may be over-salted.
The fact that the herring is very salty is also indicated by its appearance – it will look even more elastic and dense.
And one more tip: buy whole fish and take it apart yourself. Of course, it is more convenient to buy ready-made fillets (preserves), but in its production they use various kinds of solutions, additives, preservatives – all this allows you to speed up the salting of herring and prolong storage, but has a negative impact on health. If you still decide to take preserves, then look at the packaging date – the fresher it is, the better, and at the pieces inside – they should be the same size and neatly laid out.
Previously, we told you how to distinguish real sour cream from a fake – what to look for.
