Saturday, March 13, 2010

Heringsalat, German Herring Salad

Pin It
( 2-3 servings)


While I was at the German deli getting stuff for the meat salad, I saw some pickled herring and decided to make herring salad as well. There are different versions of it. I prefer the one which includes beets because I love them, and the way they colour this salad.

1 cup pickled herring, drained and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 red beet, roasted and chopped or 1/3-1/2 cup chopped pickled beets
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 dill pickle, chopped
1/2 granny smith apple, chopped
1 tbsp capers
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
2 tbsp sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Serve with bread, rolls or crackers.

38 comments:

SoupSeeds said...

My dad is from Hanover Germany and he's made this recipe for us every New Year's Eve. He said it's good luck to have some first thing on New Year's Day. Our recipe is slightly different in quantities and we don't add sour cream. His recipe also includes veal knuckle. It's awesome to see this still circulating. Each of my kids has the family recipe too!

Kate soupseeds.blogspot.com

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Does he make a stock out of the veal knuckle for the salad? This addition is quite interesting to me and not one I've come across. My mum grew up in Wuppertal, which is southwest of Hanover.. I'm definitely going to ask her about this the next time we talk. I love herring salads!

Karina said...

Hi, thanks or the salad. I am constantly looking for things that I have lost over the years. I grew up just north of Hamburg - so this salad was a staple on the evening table. Although you can buy sort of this salad at our local Polish shop (I live in Canada), but it's not how Mom made it...You know, Moms seem to have a special way to mend all with food...

This salad comes close - I can't remember the apple in there, but it is a good and logical addition. Matjes and apples are a classic!
Again, thanks for forgotten and found!

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Thanks, Karina! The apple is quite nice in this herring salad. My mum used to add chopped apple to her meat salad as well.

SoupSeeds said...

Sorry for the long wait before I replied. To answer your question about the veal knuckle, yes you cook it with a bit of onion and parsely, simmering on the stove (in some water so it has moisture) until tender, then you use a cup of broth and mix that with a dressing that includes olive oil, wine vinegar, dry mustard, salt and pepper and some sugar. You mix that together and pour over the salad and let marinate overnight to combine flavors and then mix it well and serve the next day (on New Year's Day). How exciting that your mom is from an area near Hanover!! Please keep in touch, this is so exciting.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

I imagine the veal broth adds an interesting dimension to this salad. Thanks for your response!

SoupSeeds said...

What interests me most is that your mother is from near where my father was from, and to know what other recipes she might have. My dad came to the USA with his parents when he was around 9 years old so he didn't bring any other handed down recipes than that one.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

This recipe for rouladen is how I remember my mother making them.

http://cookingweekends.blogspot.com/2010/04/rouladen-german-beef-rolls.html

texprof said...

I used to use veal knuckle, but in recent years it's very difficult to find in butcher shops, much less in the meat sections of large grocery stores. Most of them get their meat already cut up prior to their receiving it. Times change.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Texprof, what do you use in place of the veal knuckle?

dagmarvb said...

My Mutti also made Herringsalat every New Year's. Our variation ( we are from Braunschweig - very close to Hannover) included: matjes herring, beef cubes,potato,green apple,pickle , and onion.When I can't find matjes, I use Bismarck herring in a jar. I am making it tonight.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Dagmarv, your salad sounds delicious. I think the addition of beef cubes is very interesting.

SoupSeeds said...

Dagmarvb, your recipe sounds just like mine! I too made it on new years eve.

Unknown said...

When buying the herring, I noticed some comes in white wine sauce. is that an ok one to use? If not, which? Any brand in particular?

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Irene... I've used both the regular pickled herring as well as the one with wine. Lately I've been buying the herring at Costco which sells a fairly large jar at a pretty decent price. HTH

Unknown said...

Hanover, Wuppertal...you guys make me homesick! I came over to Canada from Hueckeswagen a city about 40 km from Wuppertal in fact the Wupper river runs right through my hometown.
I was practically raised on herringsalat, pork hocks (reg. and smoked) potato salad etc etc, your recipes are just like mom's and dad's. any of you near New West. BC., The herring fishermen sell tubs of salt herring in early Feb, at the Quay.

SoupSeeds Creations, by Kate Ward said...

Gerlinde, in place of (the difficult to find) veal knuckle, I use a small roast. I cook the roast slowly with onions, water/broth, parsley, and then I cut a small portion of it to use in this recipe. I can store the rest for another meal.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Hmm, salt herring. It's been years since I got as far as Vancouver, Rolf. I do live across the strait from Vancouver Island and will check out the small fish market in Sidney, the next time I'm there.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Kate, thanks for explaining the "beef cubes". This reminded me to ask my mum about this.

S.M. said...

Gerlinde, I just saw this recipe exchange. My mother is from Kiel and my father from Bremen. We had this recipe all the time and my kids make it too because it is "tradition". I use the hearing in wine sauce, little mayonnaise and mustard for the dressing. We never add any meat to it.

Gerlinde in Washington said...

S.M. I just made this last week and I used the herring in the wine sauce that time. I never tire of this salad; have always loved it.

Unknown said...

I am about to make it. My Dad used to make it for Christmas Eve. I am from Bremerhaven and live near Sydney/Australia. I have quite a few Friends who ring before they come to visit and ask, can I make Hering Salad for them. I use Hering, sweet & sour pickled Gurken, Apple, Onion. Beetroot and 2 Spoons of Yoghurt. I can eat it every day, if I have to. :)

Unknown said...

I loved to this recipe and the comments! My dad is from Insel Föhr - a really small island in the North Sea and we also have this on New Years Eve (and Christmas to be fair). Our recipe is Matjes herring, Granny Smith apple, pickled beets, capers and a tiny bit of sour cream. Yum!

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Thanks, Sophia!

Cranky said...

my dad grew up in hamburg and he always made one with peas no red beets at all..Do u know this recipe

Cranky said...

My father was an orphan and as a chipd worked on the Ships in Bremerhaven..Peeling potatoes etc..he immigrated to Canada and O make herring salad every christmas

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Hi, Cranky. I'm not familiar with the one with peas. I'll ask my mum when she returns from her vacation. Now I'm curious.

BirgitG said...

Came across this recipe which is the closest to the Herringsalat my mother has made every Christmas Eve forever. She is from near Nurnberg but her family came from south of Hannover. Love how this slightly less common recipe still is used and has traveled the world, I'll make it this year in Seattle.

Sandy (Boggs) Kosarski said...

I’ve posted to several blogs in the past on Herring Salad, wondering if others used a similar recipe. My late mother-in-law, Ilse (we called her Oma), was from Bremerhaven. She moved to the USA a few years after her marriage to her Army husband. I have her recipe and make it now for my family. Her ingredients are cold roasted pork roast, boiled potatoes, Granny Smith apple, drained canned beets, boiled eggs, sweet/sour pickles, and herring in wine sauce. Cut all of those in similar size dice. The “sauce” is a little vegetable oil mixed with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, finely minced onion, and reserved beet juice to moisten. Mix all together gently and refrigerate overnight. Serve with a dollop of mayo and warm crusty croissants. Exactly as she did it - delicious!

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Sandy, that sounds delicious!

Unknown said...

This year I'm simply using a beef knuckle, but sometimes I've used chicken broth. The tastes are not greatly different.

Anita Springer said...

My mother who is from Pommern used to make this exact recipe too! It is traditional for New Year's Eve. She is from the northeast of Germany so I imagine this is a traditional north German recipe. She sometimes put cut up leftover pieces of meat in it.

Unknown said...

Thanks for recipe. I just made it, husband is American won’t touch it, but I put in beets not not the jouice and it is not purple like my moms was. I know it is not New Years but memories overtake.

JB said...

I am new here but just reading all your posts brought tears to my eyes. For all those of you who are "homesick" or are just missing tradition because older generations have passed, I can really empathize. I an in US, have moved from New York to Florida and all those traditions are slowly going by the wayside. Funny thing, I am Italian-American, and yet, so many of the same sentiments apply. It really is remarkable how food traditions con bond people...I truly believe, food, and the sharing of it, can heal the world just a little bit.
Now, as regards that recipe...Sounds just delicious. I see people posting about beef cubes but I don't see that in the recipe. If I was to add beef, what cut would I use, and how would you suggest cooking it?

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Hello, JB

My family never added beef or pork to this salad. The recipe I've posted above is how my mother made it.

I had a quick look though one of my German cookbooks which contains two recipes that do add meat. One recipe is similar to the one above except that it also adds "8 strips of medium-lean bacon, diced and cooked".

The second recipe is quite different which I've copied out below for you. I have never made this version. It's from the English translation of a German cookbook called, The Cuisines of Germany, by Horst Scharfenberg, 1980

4-5 medium red potatoes, cooked the day before and peeled
2 cups pickled beets; reserve 1/4 cup liquid
3/4 - 1 lb cooked lean beef (it does not mention which cut)
1/2 lb cooked pork sausage or knockwurst
4 big kosher dill pickles,
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 small jar of capers
4-5 matjes herring fillets
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp salad oil
2 tbsp wine vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
2 eggs, hard-boiled and quartered

The potatoes, beets, beef, sausage and pickles should all be diced about the same size.

The herring fillets should be soaked in water for up to 10 minutes, then cut up and combined with everything else.

Season with the black pepper, oil and vinegar and reserved beet juice; salt probably won't be necessary. Salad should be allowed to stand for at least 10 hours. Serve with the mayonnaise and hard-boiled eggs.

HTH,
Gerlinde

JB said...

Wow! Thanks for posting back so rapidly. The Internet certainly has made the world a global-village, and food just does bring people together, as seen in this blog.

I like your recipe as posted and I will definitely try that recipe first. I think I will enjoy the full flavor of the fish that way. But the additions that others have mentioned here, and the recipe you were kind enough to research for me, are intriguing and worth a try as well. Thanks, again.

Carol said...

Can this salad be frozen if you don’t use sour cream?

Gerlinde in Washington said...

Carol, I'm sorry, but I don't know how well this would do if frozen.

Post a Comment