Frens Haringhandel

If you like sushi, raw herring is nothing like it.
The Dutch (or maybe just tourists) eat their herring with raw onions and pickles. As I’ve seen on TV, apparently, you’re supposed to throw the whole fish down the hatch. Luckily, Frens Haringhandel cut it up so that wouldn’t have been possible anyway.
Let’s just say, raw herring is not my thing. It’s very fishy. The raw onions definitely do help cut some of the fishiness but you can still taste it. Although I didn’t really like it, it was still a fun experience!

Tasty raw herring! They cut it into bite size pieces with raw onion on top and pickles on the side. Tastes similar to sashimi. My wife enjoyed this more than I did but a good experience and very tasty!

Not sure what else I can say about this place except that it was part of our itinerary to eat like a dutch and try some raw herring. Just think of it as sushi… kind of like raw mackeral or saba if that’s what you call it. The fish still has little bones in it but they are thin enough to be able to chew through. Not sure this was really my thing but I’ll give credit that the fish was definitely fresh.
I can now cross Dutch Raw Haring off my list.

Had a wonderful experience at this walk-​by restaurant serving many different fish like mackerel salmon and harring. I came here to try this «Dutch sushi». I devoured it in few. seconds and went for another round. Very reasonable pricing and well mannered workers. Recommended to fish lovers!

I THINK I GREW SOME CHEST HAIRS.
I was in Amsterdam so I figured when in Amsterdam, you gotta do what the Dutch do.
And apparently what the Dutch do is eat raw herring. You hold the tail up and while it’s dangling in mid-​air, you eat it. Then I imagine curly little chest hairs pop up after you swallow because dayum son.
So I planned on doing just that.
Not on bread because that’s the grown up equivalent of me wrapping up spinach in a ball of rice as a 4 year old so I wouldn’t have to taste it. But anyway, getting it on bread is an option.
To be honest though, it was less a test of my ability to not wince at everything and more of just raw fish deliciousness.
If you like sushi, you’ll really like this. In fact, I’ve had herring nigiri in the past. When I ordered my herring from this cart, I didn’t get to dangle it by the tail because they cut it up for me in perfect bite-​sized pieces. Not complaining — I got to enjoy it longer and the sliminess (which I didn’t really mind but others might) was lessened. The onions and pickles served with it help cut back on that texture as well.
Like others have mentioned, it doesn’t taste fishy. It tastes like the ocean. Dare I say it? It was really quite delicious. I probably would have gone back for seconds if my boyfriend and I didn’t have plans of locating stroopwafels.

Frens Haringhandel, c’est l’une de ces petites échoppes — en général, situées sur un pont — où il faut s’arrêter absolument pour goûter aux filets de hareng ! C’est incontournable quand on vient à Amsterdam ;-)
C’est ici qu’on mange les fameux filets de harengs fumé ! Ca peut se consommer en dans un petit pain, ou juste dans une assiette, avec des cornichons et des oignons, tout simplement.
Il y a plusieurs possibilités, les filets de harengs «nature», ou alors marinés d’une manière ou d’une autre, et également du maquereau.
Voilà, on prend sa commande, et on va s’installer sur les bancs à proximité, ou assis au bord du canal… c’est tout simple, et c’est bon !

Raw fish is nicely slightly salted and very tasty. I am a seafood lover or I live on seafood to be more precise, and this stand is strongly recommended!

One herring was enough for me but I’m glad I tried this specialty while visiting Amsterdam. There are many food stalls selling «haring» all over the city and I have no idea whether they mostly taste the same or not but the brined herring from Frens was salty and smooth, with surprisingly less of a fishy taste than I expected. It can be ordered in a sandwich or plain with pickles and onions. Get extra pickles — the sweet, tart flavor goes nicely with the fish. My only negative of this street snack was how long this taste lingered in my mouth for hours afterward!

I knew I had to try herring in Amsterdam, but it was a lot better than what I was expecting!
This food stand is located right at the end of the flower market and seemed pretty popular. You can order a traditional or non-​traditional one. I ordered traditional and it came in a sandwich with onions and pickles. It was as if I was eating salted sashimi. I loved it and almost bought a second one if I wasn’t already so full.

I have a propensity for really liking places that are simple, and perfect their small variety of items. This is one of those places. We spent quite a while tracking this little food vendor down on our last day in Amsterdam, because I had to have a raw herring sandwich. They did not disappoint.
The two-​person operation is very efficient. The lady cleans the fresh herring on the side and the nice fella cuts and dresses them to order. This is not the fishy tasting, nasty herring that I think of coming out of a jar. It’s cold, fresh, and reminds me of sashimi. I preferred the version with bread to add some texture, but that shouldn’t stop you from ordering it naked. As a tip, order it with extra pickles. They really cut the mouth-​feel of the raw fish and add a nice crisp, tart taste.
Do yourself a favor and check out this local treat while you’re in Amsterdam.

Needed a mid afternoon light lunch (after a big brunch) to tide us over to dinner and wanted to try this Dutch specialty of «Haring». We’d passed this street vendor (well. more of a portable café) previously and it had shown up as a good review in Unilocal and decided to give it a go but the queues over the weekend were crazy so today (mid afternoon Thursday) represented a much easier option.
Does exactly what it says on the tin. We opted for herring (haring) with onions and pickles without bread as we did not need the extra «filling’. You probably also get to taste the herring better.
Fast food price for something that tastes authentic — and it really is quite delicious if you have a remotely adventurous palate — and is pretty healthy.
This met our expectations and some more so 5 stars.

Granted it’s not for everyone, but if your a fan of herring, it would hard to find better. I had the sandwich version, bold on onions and pickles. I just loved it but might be good to find a mint after your meal.

I don’t care what anyone says, Herring is the way to go in Amsterdam, and this is the stall where you should being snacking on that oh, so Dutch treat. Fresh and savory with every bite. yum! I only wish that I that I could have had gotten more pickles with my order, but the picturesque dinning setting more than made up for it. If iI lived here, I am certain that I would eat this herring by the bucketful… Maybe I am part seal or something, but that is ok, because Frens Haringhandel has me covered.

Dutch New Herring is something you’ll likely love if you love raw fish. Sushi fans will note that this herring is saltier than most sushi. It’s similar but different and delicious.
Now that you understand this type of herring, know that Frens Haringhandel presents a good herring. Chopped for you as you order, fin removed, and served with onions and pickles, it’s fresh and delicious. 3 euro something will get you just the fish, add about 60 cents and you’ll get it in a sandwich. Personally, I like just the fish because the bun mutes some of its flavor.
There are better and cheaper places to get herring though. Go into the adjacent Albert Heijn. Two fish for less than 2 euro, though it doesn’t come with the sweet pickles. There’s also a shop over by Albert Cuyptmarkt that does the same thing for at least 50 cents less, plus theirs is less salty.
But if you can’t make it there and you’re too lazy to turn around and go into the market, this is a great spot to try herring!

The herring was pretty good and fresh. Not fishy at all. Loved the saltiness and the natural sweetness of the raw fish with the pickles and onions. Recommend this local snack.

I have tried raw herring several times before in different countries. I know that it can be very good but also it can taste very bad. It all depends on how it is prepared. It can be very salty, smelly or overly sweet with a mushy texture. You don’t want any of that in your herring.
The herring we tried at Frens was excellent. It was perfectly salted. It had a very smooth soft texture, and it did not have that strong fishy smell. One of the best I had ever tried. I had mine on a bun with pickles and no onions (i don’t like onions). Pickles were sweet and the bread also was somewhat on the sweet side, which wonderfully complemented the herring.
My husband never ate raw herring before, so it was his first time. He took a bite from my sandwich and really liked it. So we bought one for him and he ate it all. I would advise everyone who never ate raw herring before to eat it «hot dog style» — on a bun with pickles and onions. I think you would like it a lot better than just eating it plain.

fresh herring near fresh flowers!
an acquired taste but if you enjoy sashimi then this should be a walk in the park.
the taste is stronger, more akin to the pacific saury.
they prepare them fresh, carefully removing the bones.
you can choose to have it with a sandwich bun or in my case have it sashimi style.
a generous sprinkle of diced white onions, slices of tangy pickles and a tooth pick, holland flag style.
they also serve other fish like eel and deep fried morsels of mussels, etc.
for me, it is always along the road to my final lunch destination.
a cheap snack to keep me fueled for the trip, especially in such cold wintery conditions.