Danish Herring with Potatoes, Onions, and Beets

Appetizers | Danish cuisine

⏳ Time

2 hours + 1 day

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Danish herring with potatoes, onions, and beets

Ingredients

Shallot - 17.6 oz
Apple Cider Vinegar - 10 fl oz
Parsley - 3.5 oz
Green peppercorns - to taste
Beetroot - 2 lbs
Potato - 17.6 oz
Butter - 2.1 oz
Whole egg - 1 piece
Parmesan Cheese - 5.3 oz
Olive Oil - 0 fl oz
Lightly Salted Red Fish - 1½ kg
20% Sour Cream - 21.2 oz
Champignons - 5.3 oz
Dill - 7.1 oz
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 0.4 oz

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Marinate the shallots. Take 500 grams of shallots and separate them into individual cloves. Prepare a marinade with apple cider vinegar, 250 ml of water, sugar, and 30 grams of salt. Add parsley root and peppercorns to taste, bring to a boil, and let cool. Pour the cold marinade over the shallots and let them sit for at least a day. This pickled shallot can be stored in the marinade for up to a year and pairs wonderfully with various dishes: for instance, it can be added to meat, poultry (especially duck), or salads. So feel free to make a large batch without worrying about the exact measurements.

Step 2

Boil the beets for one to one and a half hours (depending on the size of the roots). Do not add salt to the water. Grate the boiled beets. Then squeeze them through cheesecloth or a fine sieve. Let the beets sit in the sieve for about two hours to allow as much juice as possible to drain.

Step 3

Bring water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Cut the potatoes into random pieces to cook them faster. Once the potatoes are boiled, add butter, quickly mix everything together, and pass it through a sieve until the potatoes cool down. You can pass it through a couple of times to achieve an even creamier puree. Avoid using blenders and mixers: their metal attachments can give the puree an unpleasant taste. Additionally, whipping can create an undesirable starchy, gummy texture in the potatoes. Use a silicone or wooden spatula for mashing. Once the potatoes have reached a creamy consistency, add one egg yolk, a bit of salt (if you feel it's necessary), and mix everything thoroughly with the spatula. Transfer the potato puree into a piping bag.

Step 4

Grate the cheese on a medium grater. Heat a skillet and place portions of grated cheese (about 10 grams each) in flat circles on it. Cook until the cheese starts to fry — it will sizzle and bubble. Spread a thin layer of mashed potatoes (about 40 grams per serving) on top of the frying cheese. Use a spatula to tidy the edges so that the cheese doesn't spill over the potatoes. Keep it on the heat for a minute, then transfer everything to an oven preheated to 180–374°F for 8–10 minutes. Allow to cool. The herring pillow is ready.

Step 5

Transfer the beetroot to a blender, add a pinch of sugar and 20 ml of olive oil (which is needed to give the mixture a glossy sheen). Blend until the mixture resembles a creamy, vibrant color. Pass the cream through a sieve to achieve an even smoother texture. Then, transfer everything into a piping bag.

Step 6

Remove the bones from the herring by carefully feeling it with your hands and using tweezers to pull them out. Then trim the edges of the fillet (they are usually thinner and rougher) by about 1 mm on each side. Gently peel off the skin. If it comes off easily, it is a sign that the fish is fresh and has been properly marinated.

Step 7

Place a pillow of mashed potatoes on a plate with a layer of cheese on top. Arrange the herring, sliced thinly (about 100 grams per serving), in a fan shape on top. Add a few flakes of pickled onion (to taste) on top. Pipe a beautiful beet cream — about 40–50 grams per serving. Add sour cream (30%) — also about 40 grams per serving. You can place small drops of cream on the herring and larger drops on the plate. Add thin slices of raw champignons — they are just for decoration. To taste, add green oil. For this, blend dill with 200 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 10 grams of salt, and 10 grams of sugar, then strain. You need 10 ml of this oil per serving.