Pickled herring two ways
No smorgasbord is complete without the infamous pickled herring. There are as many recipes for the sauces or dressings for herring as there are people who make them. Anything can be used – from vegetables to berries or creamier bases. If you are new to eating pickled herring, starting with one in a dressing is a good idea as you will get a good balance of flavours. Always serve dressed herring at the beginning of the meal along with a shot of chilled aquavit.
The mustard herring is as traditional as they come. Every Nordic country has a favourite, in Sweden, the favourite is this mustard dressing. The dill & apple herring pair perfectly with slices of a good, strong Scandinavian hard cheese and crispbread or rye bread.
Servings 4
Ingredients
MUSTARD HERRING
- 150 grams plain pickled herring (drained weight)
- 2 tablespoons Swedish wholegrain mustard (or a grainy sweet mustard will work)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon caster/granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons double/heavy cream
DILL & APLLE HERRING
- 50 ml mayonnaise
- 100 ml creme fraiche
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
- ½ red apple, cut into small cubes
- 150 grams onion-pickled herring cut into bite-sized pieces (drained weight)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- chopped red onion to garnish
- whole sprigs of dill to garnish
Instructions
MUSTARD HERRING
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Drain the herring and discard the onion bits and brine.
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In a bowl, mix everything together except the oil, herbs and herring. Slowly pour in the oil while whisking continuously so that the sauce emulsifi es.
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Stir in the herbs, then the herring. Leave the bowl in the fridge for a few hours to marinade, then serve with rye bread or crispbread.
DILL & APPLE HERRING
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In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, crème fraîche and mustard. Add the honey, salt, pepper and lemon juice and then fold in the chives and dill. Finally, add the apple and then the herring at the end.
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Leave the bowl in the fridge for a few hours to let the fl avours mingle. Garnish with chopped red onion.
Notes
From the book ScandiKitchen Summer by Bronte Aurell, photo by Pete Cassidy. Book available here.
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