This Dressed Herring Salad is a delicious traditional Russian dish; a staple of the winter holidays season!
The Holiday Season Isn’t Over Yet!
Hello, everyone. Happy (almost) New Year!
That’s right. Another year has almost gone. That was a bizarre (Not bad at all, in my book! We’ve got a house, cat, and dog. Minus the garage now. Yup, this happened just before the holidays. No worries – besides the garage everyone and everything is fine. But at least the entire neighborhood did smell like a BBQ party for a while!) year, and we all deserve a little celebration.
While Christmas holidays are basically over, the holiday season isn’t yet. (Don’t you like the concept of the Twelve Days of Christmas? haha). Even though many people don’t really celebrate the New Year’s Eve, it’s great way to extend the holiday season for a bit. Moreover, the holidays in our house are not over until January 2nd which is Andrew’s birthday. Yay to the extended holiday times!
Before we talk about this Dressed Herring Salad, I wanted to share this year’s Christmas cards. I started printing holiday cards based on my food photos last year. This year Daisy became the star, and I DO love the results. Isn’t she a great model?
Dressed Herring Salad
Anyway, let’s talk about this Dressed Herring Salad for a second. Do you think it sounds strange? Wait for another name. Fur coat salad or Herring under a fur coat. No worries though – no actual fur involved in this recipe. (Ok, theoretically, that could happen if Daisy decides to help me make this salad. Lol)
It’s a layered salad composed of diced pickled herrings, grated or finely cubed boiled vegetables (beetroot, potatoes, and carrots), and mayo. Some variations also include onions, apples, and eggs. Dressed Herring Salad is very popular in Russia, as well as Ukraine, Belarus, and some other countries of the former USSR. Indeed, similar salads exist in Germany, Scandinavian countries, and Finland. In the past, I’ve also shared this Potato Beetroot Herring Salad.
This has been a staple of New Year’s Eve celebration for many decades in Russia. It might not be as common as it was back in the 1980s, but I bet it’s still a must dish for millions. Not too fancy? I guess so. Heavy? Oh yes! Delicious? Absolutely!
As I’ve mentioned, traditionally this salad is layered, on a large plate. This is more elegant version. I also cubed vegetables instead of grating; however, grating works much better – the salad gets juicier and the flavours get well-combined. But either way, it’s tasty!
Interestingly, that last year my last post was another Russian holiday staple – this Olivier Salad. I guess we’re getting a little tradition, am I right? So, I am wrapping another blogging year. And I am very excited to see what kind of food inspiration will next year bring me and my fellow food bloggers.
Cheers to both 2020 and 2021. See you in January!
Dressed Herring Salad
Course: SaladsDifficulty: Easy4
servings1
hour30
minutes20
minutes1
hours (or longer)This Dressed Herring Salad is a delicious traditional Russian dish; a staple of the winter holidays season!
Ingredients
2 medium-large beets
2 carrots
2 medium potatoes
~ 1 cup pickled herrings (preferably with onions), drained and cubed
2-3 hard-boiled eggs
~ 1/2 cup mayo or to taste
Directions
- In a large pot of water boil the beets for about one hour, or until soft when pierced with a knife. In a separate pot, cook the carrots for about 30 minutes and potatoes (for about 20 minutes – just remove them earlier), until cooked but still firm.
- Allow each vegetable to cool to the touch before further handling. Remove the skins from the vegetables. Cube or shred (the smaller the better) the veggies keeping them in separate bowls. Also, grate the hard-boiled eggs in a separate bowl.
- You can either make individual salads or one big salad. Simply alternate the layer of veggies, herrings, eggs, and mayo as desired. Traditionally, beets and eggs are two last layers. Repeat the layers in the same if the serving glass / bowl allows. In fact you can omit the entire step and simply mix all ingredients together! Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably longer. Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Glad you are ok and the cat cards are the cutest! Happy New Year Ben and I love how simple this salad is!!
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Your garage Ben? Did it burn down? Wow. Still it sounds like you guys are all OK. Your dressed herring salad looks amazing. Herring used to be really popular here in Scotland. Not so much now, only because fish stocks have dwindled. Love the cards! Hope Andrew had an amazing birthday and Happy New Year to both of you. And of course Daisy too!
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Ben – you had a fire? so sorry to hear about your garage, but glad you all are ok. — So, this salad looks and sounds amazing! I love herring and a salad like this seems so elegant and so tasty! Thanks for sharing your beautiful Holiday Cards, too! Daisy is a natural model, isn’t she? Nice job!
Oh my, Ben. I’m so sorry about your garage. So scary – I’m glad everyone is okay.
Such sweet cards starring Daisy. And Happy Belated Birthday to Andrew! Hope you two had a great time celebrating.
We had pickled herring for the first time in Amsterdam last year (when we could still travel, boohoo). We loved it! So I know we’d love this beautiful salad.
Happy New Year, Ben!! I’m sad I missed this salad before the big event! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year even if it was different than it might have been other years!
Wait – did I read that correctly that your garage burned down!? What happened?? It sounds like everyone is ok – that’s the most important thing. Those cards are hilarious! I have to admit that I’ve never cooked with herring before. This sounds like a tasty recipe, though, and I appreciate the story behind it. Happy New Year, Ben! (And happy belated birthday to Andrew, too!)
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What a great card!!! Did you have a fire?? Glad you’re all OK! My youngest tried pickled herring when he was a toddler—he looked at my father-in-law after his first bite and said “mo’ fish!” We still laugh about it. You’ve made a beautiful presentation out of a not so picturesque ingredient :)
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