Where Can You Buy Herring Fish Fresh Near You?

So you're trying to buy herring fish and you typed something into Google like "where do I even get this stuff" — yeah, we've all been there. Herring isn't exactly sitting on the front shelf at most grocery stores, at least not in the U.S. It's one of those fish that people either grew up eating (thanks, grandma) or never think about until a doctor tells them to eat more omega-3s. Either way, you're here now, so let's actually get into it. This post covers where to buy herring fish, what to look for, how to use it, and — because a lot of our readers ask about this too — a bit on raw chicken necks for dogs, since the two topics overlap more than you'd think once you start looking at whole-food diets, for you and for your dog.

Why Herring Fish Is Worth the Hassle

Herring gets overlooked. Salmon and tuna hog all the attention, but herring is cheaper, oilier, and honestly just as good for you — sometimes better. It's loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and B12. If you're the type who reads nutrition labels obsessively, herring will make you happy. It's also a small fish, which matters because small fish accumulate way less mercury than the big predator ones. So when people ask if it's safe to eat regularly, yeah, it is, more so than most fish on the market honestly.

There's also a cost angle here that nobody talks about enough. Fresh salmon can run you $12-18 a pound depending where you live. Herring? Often a third of that. If you're feeding a family or just trying to eat fish more often without draining your wallet, this is the move.

Where to Buy Herring Fish (Fresh, Frozen, or Jarred)

Alright, the actual question. You can buy herring fish in a few different forms and where you find it depends on which one you want.

Fresh herring is the trickiest to track down unless you live near a coast or a good ethnic grocery store — Scandinavian markets, Eastern European delis, and Asian seafood markets tend to carry it. Ask the guy behind the counter, don't just wander the aisles hoping. Fishmongers often keep it in the back or only stock it seasonally, so calling ahead saves you a wasted trip.

Frozen herring is honestly the easier win for most people. Costco carries it in some regions, and most large grocery chains with a real seafood section will have it in the freezer aisle, sometimes labeled "herring fillets" or under Scandinavian brand names. Online, places like Vital Choice and various specialty seafood retailers ship frozen herring straight to your door, which is probably the most reliable option if you don't live near a coastal city.

Then there's pickled and canned herring — this is the stuff you'll find at Trader Joe's, most regular supermarkets, and definitely any Eastern European or Jewish deli. It's shelf-stable, doesn't need prep, and honestly it's a great entry point if you've never eaten herring before and aren't sure you'll like it.

What to Actually Look For When Buying

Don't just grab the first package you see. Fresh herring should smell like the ocean, not "fishy" in the bad rotting sense — if it smells off, walk away. The flesh should be firm, not mushy, and the eyes (if it's whole) should be clear, not cloudy.

For frozen, check the packaging date if you can, and avoid anything with visible ice crystals or freezer burn, that's usually a sign it's been sitting too long. For canned or jarred, just check sodium content if that matters to you, some brands go heavy on the salt and sugar in the pickling brine.

Herring for Humans: How to Actually Cook It

Once you've got your herring, the cooking part is simple. Pan-fry it in butter with a bit of salt, that's basically the traditional Scandinavian approach and it's hard to mess up. Grilling works great too since the oil content keeps it from drying out. If you bought pickled herring, you don't cook it at all, just serve it cold on rye bread with onions like they do in Northern Europe, or toss it into a salad.

One thing worth mentioning — herring bones are small and numerous, so if you're buying whole fish rather than fillets, take your time deboning it or ask the fishmonger to do it for you. Nobody wants a bone stuck in their throat over dinner.

Where Herring Fits Into a Raw Feeding Conversation

This is where things get interesting, and where a lot of readers land on this page in the first place. If you're into feeding your pets a more natural, whole-food diet, herring shows up as a supplement fish for dogs and cats too, not just something humans eat. Small oily fish like herring give dogs a solid omega-3 boost, which helps with skin, coat, and joint health. That said, always feed it in moderation and ideally boneless or well-prepared, since raw fish bones can be a choking risk for dogs same as they can for us.

This naturally leads into another piece of the raw feeding puzzle that a lot of dog owners ask about — raw chicken necks for dogs.

Raw Chicken Necks for Dogs: What They're Actually For

Raw chicken necks for dogs are a staple in a lot of raw feeding (BARF) diets, and for good reason. They're mostly cartilage and soft bone, which dogs can chew and digest safely when raw — cooked bones are the dangerous ones because cooking makes them brittle and prone to splintering. Raw ones flex and bend.

Chicken necks give dogs a natural source of calcium and phosphorus, plus the chewing itself is genuinely good for their dental health. It's basically nature's toothbrush. A lot of vets who support raw feeding will tell you chewing on raw chicken necks for dogs helps scrape plaque off teeth in a way that kibble just doesn't do, no matter what the bag says.

Now, I'll be blunt here — raw feeding isn't for every dog or every owner, and there's real debate in the vet community about bacterial risk (salmonella, that kind of thing) with any raw meat product. If you're going this route, talk to your vet, source your meat from a reputable place, and handle it the way you'd handle raw chicken for yourself — clean surfaces, wash your hands, don't let it sit out.

Buying and Storing Both Safely

Whether you're buying herring for your dinner table or raw chicken necks for your dog's bowl, storage matters more than people think. Keep both refrigerated at proper temps and use within a couple days of thawing, don't refreeze thawed raw meat or fish repeatedly, that just invites bacteria to build up. If you're buying in bulk (which honestly is smart for both herring and chicken necks since it saves money), portion everything out into freezer bags or containers before freezing so you're not thawing more than you need each time.

A lot of raw feeders and herring buyers alike make the mistake of over-buying and then letting product go bad in the back of the freezer. Label your bags with the date. Sounds obvious, but almost nobody does it, and then six months later you're playing a guessing game with a mystery bag of fish.

Common Mistakes People Make When Buying Herring

The biggest one — assuming your regular grocery store will always have it. A lot of chains only stock herring seasonally or regionally, so if you found it once and went back a month later to nothing, that's normal, not you doing something wrong. Call ahead or check online availability before making a special trip.

Another mistake is buying pickled herring expecting it to taste like fresh herring. They're honestly pretty different experiences — pickled is tangy, sharp, an acquired taste for some people. Fresh or frozen herring, cooked simply, tastes much milder and closer to a typical white-ish oily fish. If your first experience with herring was a jar of pickled stuff and you didn't love it, don't write off the whole fish, try it prepared a different way.

And people also underestimate portion sizes. Herring fillets are small, you'll probably need two or three per person for a real meal, not one like you might with a salmon fillet.

Wrapping This Up

Look, herring isn't glamorous. It's not going to show up on some fancy restaurant menu with a $40 price tag most of the time. But it's cheap, it's good for you, it's sustainable compared to a lot of overfished species, and once you know where to look, buying herring fish becomes pretty routine. Check your local ethnic grocery stores and fishmongers for fresh, hit up the freezer aisle or online retailers for frozen, and grab a jar at basically any supermarket if pickled is more your speed.

And if this whole conversation got you thinking about whole-food, less-processed diets in general — for you or your dog — raw chicken necks for dogs are worth researching further too, alongside things like herring as a supplement. Just go in informed, source from places you trust, and talk to a vet if you're unsure. Whole foods, done right, tend to pay off for both ends of the leash.

FAQs

Where can I buy herring fish near me? 

Check ethnic grocery stores (Scandinavian, Eastern European, Asian markets), larger chain grocery stores with a real seafood counter, or specialty online seafood retailers that ship frozen herring nationwide.

Is it cheaper to buy herring fish than salmon? 

Yes, generally. Herring usually costs significantly less per pound than salmon or tuna, while still offering strong omega-3 content.

Can dogs eat herring too? 

In moderation, yes. Herring can be a good omega-3 supplement for dogs, though it should be boneless or carefully prepared to avoid choking hazards.

Are raw chicken necks for dogs safe? 

Raw chicken necks are generally considered safer than cooked ones, since raw bones don't splinter the way cooked bones do. Always source from a trusted supplier and consult your vet first.

How often should dogs eat raw chicken necks? 

This depends on the dog's size, diet, and health, so it's best discussed with a vet familiar with raw feeding, rather than following a blanket rule.

Does pickled herring taste the same as fresh herring? 

No, pickled herring has a sharp, tangy flavor from the brine, while fresh or frozen herring cooked simply tastes milder and closer to other oily white fish.