This Potato Beetroot Herring Salad is a delicious and piquant recipe common in some European countries.
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Hello, my friends. I hope you are doing well. I am going to keep it super short today. We’ve been having a gloomy and extremely rainy week which makes me super sleepy and sluggish. Seriously, it looks like spring is already over and having skipped summer, we’ve gone straight to fall.
I know this Potato Beetroot Herring Salad might sound like a dish for a cold season, but trust me it’s very appropriate right now.
But before we jump to the recipe, let me boast a little. Do you see this turquoise background in some photos? I’ve made it myself! Don’t think it was super hard to make or a complicated technique was involved. It was extremely cheap, too! I only needed a large piece of white carton, brush, acrylic paint, and some inspiration. I have made a few backgrounds of different colours, but so far I love this one the most.
Potato Beetroot Herring Salad
Let’s talk about this Potato Beetroot Herring Salad for a minute. While this combo might sound a little bizarre, it’s indeed very delicious and hearty. This combination is common in some regions of Germany and northern Europe, particularly Scandinavia and Finland. In fact, a similar salad is served as a Christmas dish in Finland. This combo is also ubiquitous in Russia, but they make a more compound layer salad named…Herring Under a Fur Coat. I know – Russia does have some peculiar recipe names, right? I’ll probably make and share the recipe one day. Many recipes suggest chopping the ingredients very finely, but I wanted them to be visible.
For this salad, you will need to find pickled herrings that are not too vinegary and slightly sweet. Most commonly, the combination of sour cream and mayo is used for a dressing, but you can omit mayo, of course. And keep in mind that after chilling, this Potato Beetroot Herring Salad gets only better. Personally, we believe this dish is only better the next day! Lastly, this combination is rather heavy and satisfying, so I wouldn’t mix it with anything else – serve it as the entire meal. With a slice of toasted rye bread, it’s so good!
And don’t forget to try this Beetroot Vinaigrette (Vinegret) Salad, too.
Cheers.
Notes
Please note that the ratio of the ingredients is approximate and could be adjusted to your liking. The quality and taste of the herrings (salt, marinade, vinegar, sugar, etc.) are very important as it varies, and you might need to add less or more of it for the best result. You can also cut the ingredients into smaller pieces.
Ingredients
- 3 cups baked (or boiled), peeled, and roughly sliced (3 to 4 medium beets)
- 3 cups mini potatoes, skins on – boiled in salted water until tender then drained (halved if desired)
- 1 to 1,5 cups pickled herrings (preferably with onions), drained
- 1/2 cup sour cream (5 % or as desired)
- 2 to 4 tbsp. mayonnaise
- dill, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Combined cooked and sliced beets with the potatoes.
- Add the drained herrings (roughly chop if large pieces) starting with one cup. Try and add the remaining 1/2 cup if desired.
- Combine and let chill for at least one hour.
- In a small bowl combine the sour cream and mayo. Add the dressing and mix well. Stir in the dill.
- Serve with rye bread if desired. 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.
That background is BEAUTIFUL, Ben! Love the bright, vibrant colour…which I need because it is cold and rainy here in Newfoundland. I think we skipped spring too. Oh well! Hubby and I love all types of seafood and we regularly have canned fish and the like on hand. Bet the herring pairs beautifully with the root veg. Talk about a nice n hearty meal! Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead and fingers crossed for some nice weather soon :)
I feel you, Ben. We just had a GIANT dump of snow, so maybe we’ll skip summer altogether and go right back to winter? I need some of this bright and beautiful salad to get me through the gloom!!
I love your background board, Ben! That is my all-time favorite color and it certainly makes this gorgeous salad POP! I love beets, and the idea of adding the herrings sounds so so wonderful! I’ve been having a bit of a craving for rye bread, too, so this may appear on my table soon!
I’m impressed that you made that background board, Ben! I’ve purchased most of my backgrounds, but I’ve dabbled in making some props of my own using leftover pieces of wood. It’s not easy! Well done on the board and this recipe, my friend. It’s so colorful! I hear ya about the weather, too. It was so nice for a while there, and then all of a sudden it’s freezing again. (Literally freezing…we were below freezing here last night.) Come on Spring – where are you!?
David @ Spiced recently posted…Stuffed Chicken Caprese
I always think that beetroot goes so well with fish. I’ve got a mackerel beetroot salad recipe that’s a favourite but I’ll need to give this herring one a go now too. Well done on making the background Ben, you clearly have much better artistic skills than I do. I have bought all mine and they weren’t cheap either. LOL.
You made that background? I’m so impressed! It’s beautiful! And the color complements the colors in the salad beautifully. Hope you’re having a great weekend, Ben!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen recently posted…Triple Chocolate Cheesecake