HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point; a mandatory food-safety program implemented by the seafood industry in December 1997 to minimize risk to public health. HACCP requires suppliers to write up and follow a program detailing all points in their manufacturing process where hazards exist; these are the critical control points.

H&G - Headed and gutted. hard-smoked – Products that have been smoked for up to several weeks.

Haddock - A North Atlantic fish, the smaller cousin to the cod. The haddock has firm white flesh that is mild in flavor. Smoked haddock is called "finnan."

Hake - This low-fat saltwater fish, related to the cod, is found in the Atlantic and North Pacific. It's flesh features a white, delicate flavor.

Halibut - A low-fat, firm white and mild-flavored fish from the flatfish family. Resembles a gigantic flounder. "Chicken Halibuts" weigh up to ten pounds and are considered the finest halibut.

Headed - Fish from which the head has been removed.

Headed and Gutted (H&G) - Have head and viscera removed before sale.

Herring - A small salt-water fish related to the shad, alewife, sardine, and the freshwater cisco. Herring is often pickled, smoked, and dressed in numerous sauces. As a high fat fish, the fresh meat has a soft, fine grain texture best suited for dry heat cooking. Most often, it’s encountered in one of it’s very many cured forms:

Pickled herring, a popular form in Scandinavia and Russia, is marinated in vinegar and spices, then canned in either a wine or sour cream sauce.
A rollmop is a cured herring fillet, rolled up and preserved in vinegar, flavored by onions and spices.
A kipper (or kippered herring) is a split and smoked herring, and a Bloater is a whole smoked herring. Both of these smoked herring are important in British cuisine.
“Raw” herring (really enzyme-cured like seviche) with raw shredded onions is a typical Dutch delicacy.
Silds are an immature Herring that are canned as sardines in Norway.
Very young Herring called Whitebait are eaten or cooked whole. Herring can also be prepared as herring soup.
In Germany, herring is pickled to make matjes, or soused herring, curing them in a spiced sugar-vinegar brine.

Histamines - Chemicals produced by decomposition of flesh in scombroid species (tuna, mahi mahi, mackerel) from poor handling. Not usually fatal in individuals with normal immune sytems.

Hoki - A white fish resembling Hake quite bland in flavor and relatively bone free, it can be fried, baked and poached and goes well with a rich sauce. It is fished in large quantities off New Zealand and is mainly exported.

Honeycombing - see gaping.

Holiday - A condition in which the glaze is missing entirely, an indication of improper glazing.

Hot Smoked - Fish exposed to smoke at gradually increasing temperatures (up to 180¼ F) over a period of 12 to 18 hours, resulting in coagulation of the protein. The product is cooked through, has a dry texture and an intensely smoky flavor.