Sillsallad (Herring Salad in Sour Cream Sauce)
Submitted by mandy1385
Traditional Swedish sillsallad with chopped herring, beets, potatoes, apple, and dill in an egg yolk dressing, served with a pink beet-sour cream sauce. A Scandinavian holiday classic.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
0 minREADY
150 minSillsallad is the jewel of the Swedish smorgasbord, a composed herring salad that’s equal parts rustic and refined.
Chopped herring, cold boiled potatoes, vibrant beets, tart apple, onion, and dill pickles all get tossed together with fresh dill and white wine vinegar.
The dressing is where the craft comes in: hard-cooked egg yolks are sieved into a silky paste with mustard, then beaten with vinegar, oil, and cream until smooth.
Everything chills for at least two hours so the flavors meld, then gets topped with minced egg whites and more dill.
A separate pink sour cream sauce tinted with beet juice and brightened with lemon comes alongside for spooning over each serving.
Kitchen Tips
- Chop everything to a similar fine dice. Uniformity in size means every forkful gets a bit of herring, beet, potato, and apple in one bite.
- Chill the salad for the full two hours, or even overnight. The beets will stain everything a gorgeous ruby pink and the flavors deepen dramatically.
- Force the egg yolks through a fine sieve, not a coarse one. This extra step gives the dressing its characteristic silkiness.
- The beet-sour cream sauce should be served in a separate bowl. It’s meant as a finishing touch, not mixed in, so each guest can add as much as they like.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the finely chopped herring, optional meat, potatoes, beets, apple, onion and pickle.
Mix 3 tablespoons of the dill with the vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour over the salad and toss gently with a wooden spoon.
DRESSING: Remove the yolks from the hard cooked eggs.
Mince the whites and set them aside.
Force the yolks through a sieve into a small bowl with the back of a large spoon, then mash them to a paste with the tablespoon of prepared mustard.
Gradually beat in the vinegar and oil, then the cream, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce has the consitency of heavy cream.
Pour over the salad, mix lightly but thoroughly, cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, transfer the salad to a large serving bowl or platter and sprinkle it with the minced egg whites and remaining chopped dill.
SAUCE: Stir the beet and lemon juice into the sour cream until it is smooth and well blended.
Pass this sauce separately.
Comments
