Herring split, salted and cold-smoked, grilled with butter for breakfast. John Woodger of Seahouses in Northumberland is credited with the modern cold-smoked kipper in the 1840s; Manx and Craster kippers remain the best known.
Cold smoking holds raw fish for many hours at a temperature too low to kill anything, so the brine and a properly ventilated smokehouse carry the whole burden — and a smokehouse running overnight is the equipment.
What goes into it
- herring, split along the back
- salt brine
- oak or whisky-cask chips for smoke
How it is made
The herring is split from head to tail along the back, gutted and laid flat, then brined for around half an hour. It is hung on tenterhooks in a smokehouse and cold-smoked over oak for eight to sixteen hours at under 30°C (86°F), so it takes on smoke and colour without ever cooking. The dyed supermarket version skips most of the smoking.
How long it takes: a brine of under an hour, then eight to sixteen hours of cold smoking
How it is eaten
Grilled or poached with butter and brown bread for breakfast, or made into pâté.
History
John Woodger of Seahouses, Northumberland, is credited with the modern cold-smoked kipper in the 1840s; Manx and Craster kippers remain the best known.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kippers?
Kippers is a charcuterie & cured from United Kingdom: herring split, salted and cold-smoked, grilled with butter for breakfast. John Woodger of Seahouses, Northumberland, is credited with the modern cold-smoked kipper in the 1840s; Manx and Craster kippers remain the best known.
How is Kippers made?
The herring is split from head to tail along the back, gutted and laid flat, then brined for around half an hour. It is hung on tenterhooks in a smokehouse and cold-smoked over oak for eight to sixteen hours at under 30°C (86°F), so it takes on smoke and colour without ever cooking. The dyed supermarket version skips most of the smoking. It takes a brine of under an hour, then eight to sixteen hours of cold smoking.
Can I make Kippers at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Cold smoking holds raw fish for many hours at a temperature too low to kill anything, so the brine and a properly ventilated smokehouse carry the whole burden — and a smokehouse running overnight is the equipment.
What goes into Kippers?
Herring, split along the back, salt brine, oak or whisky-cask chips for smoke.
How is Kippers eaten?
Grilled or poached with butter and brown bread for breakfast, or made into pâté.
