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Kippers substitute

Best substitute

Hot-Smoked Mackerel

Use the same amount by weight as the kippers you are replacing

Best for kedgeree

Close match

Work out what the kipper is doing first, because that decides the swap. In kedgeree, fishcakes, pate or scrambled eggs it is a seasoning fish: salt plus smoke plus oil, in a form that flakes. Hot-smoked mackerel covers all three and is the best all-round answer at 1:1 by weight, and since it is already cooked you flake it straight in off the heat. Smoked haddock is the traditional kedgeree fish and tastes cleaner but much leaner, so add an extra knob of butter to put the richness back. Tinned kipper fillets are literally the same cured herring and taste identical, just too soft to serve whole. Hot-smoked trout or salmon is the mild option for people who find kippers too strong, but it is sweeter and much less salty, so add a good pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon and a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika to rebuild the smoke. For a breakfast plate of whole fish with butter melting into it, only smoked mackerel or another smoked herring really works.

Other kippers substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Kippers with ratios

  1. 2Smoked Haddock (Finnan Haddie)

    Taste and texture differ

    Use the same amount by weight

    Cold-smoked white fish, cured the same way a kipper is and therefore needing to be cooked, but firm, lean and pale rather than oily, which makes it the smoke-and-salt half of a kipper without the richness.

    What changes
    Best for
    kedgeree, fish pie, poaching in milk, chowder

    Actually the classic kedgeree fish, so this is a swap with a pedigree. It is much leaner and whiter, which makes the dish cleaner and lighter but noticeably less rich; add an extra knob of butter to compensate. Poach it in milk for 5 to 6 minutes, then flake. Avoid the bright yellow dyed sort if you can.

  2. 3Tinned Kipper Fillets

    Different texture

    Use the same amount by drained weight

    The same kippered herring, already cooked in the tin and packed in oil or brine, so the salt, smoke and oil are all exactly right and only the firmness has gone.

    What changes
    Best for
    pate, kedgeree, toast, fishcakes

    Identical flavour, so this is the closest option of all, but the texture is soft and wet rather than firm, and the fillets break apart when you handle them. Fine wherever the fish gets flaked or mashed; wrong for a plated breakfast where you want a whole fish with butter melting into it.

  3. 4Hot-Smoked Trout or Hot-Smoked Salmon

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by weight

    Milder hot-smoked fish, already cooked and easy to flake into large pieces, with the right oiliness and texture but only a fraction of a kipper's salt and smoke.

    What changes
    Best for
    kedgeree, pate, salads, scrambled eggs

    The gentlest option and the one to pick if kippers are too strong for the people you are feeding. It is sweeter, much less salty and far less smoky, so add a good pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon and, if you want the smoke back, a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika.

  4. 5Bloaters, Buckling or Other Smoked Herring

    Close match

    Use the same amount

    The same herring, cured and smoked by slightly different methods across Britain and northern Europe, so the salt-and-smoke balance a kipper provides arrives more or less intact whichever one you find.

    What changes
    Best for
    breakfast, kedgeree, pate, rye bread and butter

    Same fish, same job, so use them interchangeably. Buckling is hot-smoked and therefore ready to eat; bloaters are lightly salted and whole-smoked, so they taste gamier and stronger. Dutch and Scandinavian smoked herring will do the job too.

  5. 6Tinned Sardines or Sprats in Oil, Plus Smoke

    Taste and texture differ

    Use the same amount by drained weight, plus ¼ tsp smoked paprika per tin

    Small oily tinned fish that stand in for the oiliness and some of the salt but bring none of the oak smoke, which is why the smoked paprika is part of the ratio rather than an optional extra.

    What changes
    Best for
    pate, toast, fishcakes

    The store-cupboard fallback. The oiliness is right and sprats in particular are often smoked already, but plain sardines need help: add smoked paprika, and salt to taste since kippers are much saltier. The flesh is softer and more mineral, so mash rather than flake.

What is Kippers?

Kippers is Britain's breakfast smoked fish: whole herring split down the back, brined and cold-smoked over oak, sold as whole kippers or as boneless kipper fillets and given a few minutes of heat before eating; in any dish other than a plated breakfast a kipper is really a seasoning, supplying concentrated salt, oily richness and hard smoke rather than mild flakes of fish.

Cooking tips

  • Traditional jugging is still the easiest method and the least smelly: stand the kipper in a tall jug, cover with boiling water, leave 5 minutes, then drain. It heats through gently and washes off some of the surface salt at the same time.
  • If you would rather grill them, cook them skin-side down under a moderate broiler for 3 to 4 minutes with a knob of butter on top, and do not turn them. Hard frying tightens the flesh and makes the smoke taste bitter.
  • Kippers are cold-smoked, which cures rather than cooks them, so they do need a few minutes of heat. Hot-smoked substitutes like mackerel and trout are already cooked and need none, which is the single biggest practical difference when you swap.
  • The bones lift out easily once the fish is warm. Slide a knife under the backbone and lift; the row of fine pin bones usually comes away with it in one piece.
  • Butter, black pepper and a wedge of lemon is the entire recipe for a plated kipper, and a slice of brown bread to catch the buttery juices. Anything more elaborate fights the smoke.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is a kipper?

A herring that has been split from head to tail, gutted, soaked in brine and cold-smoked over oak chips. That means it is cured and smoky but not cooked, which is why kippers get a few minutes of gentle heat before eating. Boneless kipper fillets are the same thing with the frame removed.

Are kippers raw?

They are cured rather than raw, in the same way cold-smoked salmon is, and they are traditionally eaten after a short spell in boiling water or under the grill. Hot-smoked fish such as smoked mackerel is fully cooked in the smoker and needs no heating at all, which is worth remembering when you substitute one for the other.

Can I use smoked salmon instead of kippers?

For a pate or scrambled eggs, yes, though cold-smoked salmon is silky rather than flaky and much sweeter and less salty. Hot-smoked salmon is the better choice because it flakes. For a breakfast plate of kippers, neither really works: smoked mackerel is closer.

Can I just leave the kippers out of kedgeree?

No, because the smoked fish is what makes kedgeree kedgeree. The rice, egg and curry spices are the frame; the smoke and salt from the fish are the flavour. Use smoked haddock, smoked mackerel or hot-smoked trout instead, in that order of authenticity.

How do I make kippers less salty and less fishy?

Two things help. Jug them in boiling water for 5 minutes and discard the water, which draws out surface salt, or soak the fillets in milk for 15 minutes and drain. Then serve them with something acidic and something starchy, such as lemon and buttered brown bread, which balances the cure rather than adding to it.

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