Surströmming - Fermented Herrings in the Traditional Can

The can came intact and a bit puffy. Normal for this stuff. I’d recommend opening outdoors. Pop the can while it’s submerged in large pot or bucket of cold water. It does smell bad at first. Let it burp off all the air while it’s submerged. Then you can drain it and open the can the rest of the way. The fillets will be tattered and sometimes a bit gooey and yes there are bones. I put the fish on flat bread with plain boiled potato, sliced onion and sour cream. It’s salty, strong but good funky smelling fish. Not everyone will like it. My can had about six fillets or chunks . They aren’t packed in there like a sardine. It’s more liquid than fish because they’re fermented and broken down. My grandmother served this during special occasions. This brought back fond memories.

I purchased this for our next family get together; I thought it would be hilarious! It took a while to receive, and when it showed up, the can was so swollen that it looked ready to pop. Nonetheless, i have no history with this product, and I knew it was fermented, so I thought little of it. About 6-7 months later, we open it. It almost exploded, and there was absolutely no meat anywhere in the can. The sticker said it would be best if used by February 2026 - 4 months away. But there was just bones in what can only be described as a froth of rotten-smelling swill. There are a lot of fermented foods that i enjoy, but this did NOT smell of fermentation; it smelled of rotted meat. We thought this was going to be an interesting and amusing cultural experience; instead, I can say that the entire experience was ruined.

Excellent bye. Just as disgusting repugnant as I imagined it would be. You won’t be disappointed.

Would recommend to eat it with potato, braid and onion.

Damaged product. Right out of package the seal on the can was partially open and the can was inflated. Can't even do a refund because it's a perishable item.

We did not buy this to eat necessarily, just for entertainment purposes. I bought this so I could watch my (5) sons open it together. It did not disappoint! We opened this in the back yard and the smell was horrific. I had so moved my chai up wind. Once it was open they each dared one another to get a small piece of it down, as in eat some. A couple were successful, one threw up, and the rest chickened out. It was a great half hour to 45 minutes of non-stop laughing on my part. Five stars. The dog was a big fan.

I was super excited to try this and freak out friends and fam. It arrived early which was a plus but! We opened it and it was completely this brown liquid nightmare with fish bones in it. Sad

This stuff is wretched, but if you are looking for a food challenge, this is just what the doctor ordered.