The red herring is a quest item used during The Fremennik Trialsquest. Once it is cooked, it will become a regular herring, but a new item, sticky red goop, will be created. Once the puzzle involving the red herring has been completed, the herring can be consumed.
A red herring is an idiom referring to something that serves to distract or mislead. This is ironic, as the red herring is an item required for solving Peer the Seer's puzzle. Instead, the toy ship is the true red herring.
