Whitby Kippers: Fortune's Smokehouse and How to Eat Them

What a Whitby kipper actually is

A kipper is a herring that has been gutted, split and cured in smoke rather than cooked. At Fortune's the fish are gutted by hand before being hung in the smokehouse, so the flavour comes from the cure, not from a pan. That is why a good kipper tastes of salt, woodsmoke and oil rather than of fish alone.

Because the fish is already cured, you are really reheating and finishing it at home. The flesh should stay moist and the skin should take on a little colour, and either method below takes well under ten minutes. Buy one kipper per person for a starter or light main, two if you are hungry.

Why Whitby is associated with kippers

Smoking herring has been a Whitby trade for well over a century. Furbellow & Co's account dates the Fortune family business to 1872 and describes the operation as largely unchanged, with the smokehouse aroma greeting you as you walk along the cobbles. Treat that date as the family's own history rather than an official heritage record.

Fortune's describes itself as Whitby's only traditional smokehouse, and Mary Berry has been quoted praising the shop after featuring it on her BBC programme. Take the quote as a compliment rather than a ranking; it tells you the place is well known, not that it has won an award. It is a small working smokehouse, not a slick visitor operation.

If you want the wider picture of what the town cooks and eats, Whitby food runs well beyond kippers, and a guide to what to eat in Whitby covers the rest of the plate.

Finding Fortune's: up the cobbles past the 199 steps

The shop sits on the east side of town, not on the harbour front. From the centre of Whitby, walk over the swing bridge and start up the cobbles by either Sandgate or Church Street. Keep going until you reach the 199 steps, walk past them along Henrietta Street, and the shop is on your right, at number 22.

The climb is the main practical cost of a visit: it is a steep few minutes on cobbles, so wear shoes you can walk in rather than anything with a smooth sole. The reward is a smokehouse tucked among the cottages on Henrietta Street below the Abbey, a setting that suits the outing far more than a quick stop by a counter. Plan the walk as part of the trip, not as an obstacle before it.

What to expect at the shop

Opening is from 9am to 3pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 1pm on Sunday. The shop takes cash only, so draw some out before you climb the hill. If the day's kippers sell out, the shop closes early, so an early visit is the safer bet on a busy weekend.

Do not assume a card machine or a click-and-collect counter. Ask in person about buying smoked fish and how best to carry it home; leave the shop to explain its own terms and prices, as this guide will not guess at either. If you are travelling home by train or car, say so and ask how they would pack it for the journey.

Buying to carry home versus buying by post

Smoked fish travels better than most people expect, but it does not like heat or being squashed. Buy it near the end of your visit rather than carrying it round town all day, keep it flat at the top of your bag rather than under shopping, and ask the shop how they would pack it. A cool box in the car is worth the bother on a warm day.

How long kippers keep and how best to store them depends on how they are wrapped, so confirm that with the shop when you buy. If you live far away, ask directly whether and how they can send fish, and what it would cost, before relying on it for a specific date. The same applies to any other Whitby smokehouse you see advertised; ask that shop directly.

How to cook Whitby kippers: jug or grill

Jugging is the gentler method and the one to choose if you are cooking indoors. Bring a pan of water to the boil, cut off the head and tail, stand the kippers upright in the hot water and take the pan off the heat for about six minutes. The fish steams through and the smell in the kitchen stays much lower.

Grilling gives you crisper skin and a more assertive flavour. Add a knob of butter and grill for around five minutes until the skin is crisp and the fish is hot, wrapping in foil if you want to keep more of the oils. Choose grilling when you want the kipper to feel like a main rather than something gentle.

Open a window either way. Both methods leave a smoky smell in the kitchen, and the difference is one of degree, not of kind. If that is a problem, cook outside or stick to buying a kipper ready to eat from a chippy or café instead.

What to serve with a kipper

Brown bread and real butter is the classic pairing, and it does most of the work: the bread soaks up the oil and the butter softens the smoke. A stotty from Botham's of Whitby works well too, split and buttered while still warm. A strong pot of tea cuts through the salt nicely.

It is worth keeping the rest of the plate plain: a squeeze of lemon, plenty of pepper, perhaps a poached egg on top. Heavy sauces tend to fight the cure rather than balance it. For a breakfast-sized portion, one kipper with bread is enough for most people.

Kippers for breakfast or a light main

A kipper works at either end of the day. At breakfast it is a savoury alternative to a fry-up and lighter on the stomach; as a main, serve two with bread and a green vegetable and it becomes a proper plate. If you are new to smoked fish, start with one and see how strong you find the smoke.

The smoke is the point, and it is bold: these are traditionally cured kippers with a pronounced flavour rather than a subtle one. Those who find them too strong often prefer them grilled with butter, where the fat rounds off the edges.

The practical trade-offs

Four things are worth planning around: the hill, the cash, the sell-out and the smell. Draw cash before you cross the swing bridge, arrive in the morning, wear proper shoes and accept that your kitchen will smell of smoke for a few hours. None of these is a reason to skip it, but they turn a whim into a plan.

The shop is small, so on busy days it can get crowded, particularly in summer. If you are short of time, go early rather than late, and remember the day's stock can run out. For a fuller meal out afterwards, seafood restaurants in Whitby are the natural next stop on the same side of the river.

Should you climb the cobbles for a kipper?

Yes, if you want to eat something that tastes of Whitby rather than something you could buy anywhere. Fortune's is a working smokehouse, not a slick visitor attraction, and the shop's rules are part of that. Bring cash, go early, and take the walk up from the swing bridge as part of the trip.

Buy one kipper per person to carry home, and ask the shop how best to pack it for a long journey before you commit. Once home, jug them if the kitchen is small, grill them if you want crisp skin, and serve with brown bread and butter and a strong pot of tea. Our Whitby pubs and food landmarks page has a short guide to each named place we cover.