Kippers (not smoked)
Introduction
Kippers (unsmoked) are whole Atlantic or sometimes Pacific herring that have been split open, gutted and lightly salted — a preserved fish product rather than a fruit or land animal. Traditionally kippers are hot- or cold-smoked, but unsmoked kippers simply refer to salted and split herring that have not undergone the smoking stage; they should be cooked before eating rather than consumed raw, as the salting/preserving process reduces but does not eliminate microbiological risks.
Visually, unsmoked kippers have a silvery to grey-blue skin on the back with pale, off-white to pinkish flesh; the pinkish tint arises from the fish’s natural muscle pigments (myoglobin and haemoproteins) and from minor oxidation during processing.
Nutritionally, herring-based kippers are rich in high-quality protein and provide significant amounts of omega‑3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA and DHA), vitamin D, vitamin B12, niacin (B3), selenium and phosphorus; they also supply smaller amounts of iron and iodine. They are relatively high in sodium due to the salting process, so they should be consumed with attention to salt intake.
Nutrition Snapshot per 100g
Kcal nn kcal
Protein nn g | nn %
Fat nn g | nn %
Carbohydrates nn g | nn %
Percentages reflect this food’s Balance*
Fibre nn g
Total Sugars nn g
Saturated Fat nn g
Salt nn mg
Nutritional values are per 100g and sourced from UK CoFID data.
Carbohydrates value includes Fibre (AOAC method).
Carbohydrates value includes Total Sugars including naturally occurring sugars such as glucose, fructose, lactose or sucrose.
Balance*
The Balance value expresses how protein, carbohydrate and fat contribute to a food’s total energy.
Using CoFID data per 100g, each macronutrient is converted into energy using the standard Atwater convention (protein × 4 kcal, carbohydrate × 4 kcal, fat × 9 kcal). The energy from each macronutrient is then calculated as a percentage of the total macro energy.
This provides a simple way to see whether a food is predominantly carbohydrate-based, protein-based or fat-based.
It does not determine whether a food is “good” or “bad”, but helps visualise its macronutrient profile within a broader eating pattern.
When assessing a full meal or daily intake, portion sizes should be taken into account.
Why this matters
Understanding the structure of individual foods can help you make more confident decisions when adjusting to a health diagnosis or long-term condition.
If you are organising meals, tracking intake or reflecting on patterns, you may find the Aardelia digital journals helpful.