I learnt the recipe of this salad with smoked herring in the Peloponnese. Herring is a widely consumed fish in Europe, mostly smoked or pickled, and it is common to find it in salads, accompanied by potatoes. But in Germany, Baltic or Nordic countries it is dressed manly with mayonnaise, cream, etc., which makes the salad heavier. On the other hand, this Mediterranean version is fresh and light, but very satiating and nutritious at the same time.
Ingredients:
2-3 large potatoes
3-4 smoked herring fillets
1 spring onion
2 celery stalks
A handful of cherry tomatoes
Dill, parsley and oregano
Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and salt
Peel and cook the potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes. Reserve and once they have cooled, cut them into cubes.
Lightly peel the outer part of the celery stalks, cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters, and chop the spring onion, dill, and parsley. Finally, cut the herring fillets into bite-size pieces and mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Season with salt, pepper, oregano, extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a large lemon.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for enough hours in order to serve it cold.
Tips and tricks:
- Don’t use herrings with cream, pickled, etc. The smoked fillets are perfectly complemented by the other ingredients of this recipe.
- Peeling the celery stalks is not essential, but it significantly improves the texture of the snack, since we can eliminate in this way its quite unpleasant “threads”.
- I prefer the spring onion over the red onion in this case, since its flavor is a little more delicate and allows the fish to stand out.
- Depending on the size of the portion, this salad can be either a starter or a main dish.