In Russia it is so cold that even food (pickled herrings) wears a fur coat (shuba). And it is not a luxury: it is a necessity. This dish is also known as Herring under Fur Coat Salad. It consists of finely chopped layers of carrots, potatoes, beets, onions and herrings with a layer of mayo in between. It might sounds bizarre till you take the first bite. Also, the dish looks beautiful when sliced.
I have to admit, I have never made this dish myself since deboning the fish is very messy and requires a lot of patience. Likely, I found some pickled herring fillets in my grocery store. I used the leftovers to make canapes as an appetizer.
Cooking time: 1 hour + time for chilling
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 3 medium size potatoes
- 4 medium carrots
- half chopped onion
- 2 medium beets
- 1 cup of mayo
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- half chopped red or yellow onion
- 0.5 lb. pickled herring fillets in oil
- dill for garnish
Directions
Steam or boil the vegetables in their skins: carrots for 20
minutes, potatoes and beets for 30-40
minutes. Remove the vegetables when they are fork tender but not too soft. Cool
completely in some cold water for 5-7 minutes. It will also help with peeling.
Grate the carrots and beets. Dice into small pieces the
potatoes and the herrings fillets. Prepare the onions by chopping them finely and soak in a
cold water for 10 minutes to soften the taste.
Find a flat serving plate or a glass 9×9 inch
baking dish. I did individual portions so I layered directly into serving plates.
Start with the layer of herrings, then goes the drained onions. Spread ¼ cup of mayo on top. Place diced potatoes and another ¼ cup of mayo. Finish with carrots. For the last layer I mix the beets with the leftover mayo separately and spread the mixture op top to cover the top and edges, forming a dome-like shape. Refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight.
Decorate with a crumbled yolk and some greens like dill or
parsley.