Salad tradition meets festive makeover with herring twist
Traditions have a way of evolving, following the fashion and tastes of the audience. This applies to Christmas dishes as well. It's beneficial to know the original recipes, but with slight modifications, they might taste even better. In some countries, vegetable salad has been a staple on tables for many occasions over the years. I've found an ingredient that will add zest to it.
6:22 PM EST, December 11, 2024
I enjoy preparing dishes that allow me to use up leftovers in the fridge. The traditional vegetable salad offers some flexibility with ingredients. If I don’t have onions, I add leeks. Instead of peas, I can use corn. At some point, I decided to incorporate the fillets that didn’t get used up for Christmas.
How to cook vegetables for the salad to retain full flavor
Bland vegetable salad can be disappointing when wrongly prepared. A common mistake is cooking vegetables for too long. They don’t need to, and shouldn’t, fall apart. Additionally, they should be cooked with their skins on. This helps retain more flavor. Wash carrots, potatoes, and parsnip roots under running water, put them in a pot, cover with water, and cook for about 30 minutes. Then let them cool and peel them.
An ingredient for vegetable salad that adds a kick
This version of vegetable salad is perfect as a Christmas dish or as an appetizer for the following holiday days. Add four chopped pieces of salted, but soaked, herring to the classic version with cooked vegetables. If it hasn’t been soaked, immerse it in cold water for at least 1 hour.
The fish will not only enhance the salad's flavor but also add valuable nutrients. Few people know that this type of marine fish is much healthier than salmon or tuna. In small herrings, typically caught around the age of 2 years, there isn’t enough time for heavy metals to accumulate as in the case of larger oceanic fish. With a small amount of mercury, yet rich in protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, herrings offer strong reasons to include this fish in your meals as often as possible.
Recipe for vegetable salad with herring
Besides the cooked vegetables, you also need hard-boiled eggs for the salad. To make them perfect, cover them with cold water and cook for 6 minutes from the moment of boiling.
Ingredients:
- 4 potatoes
- 3 carrots
- 2 parsnips
- 4 herring fillets
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 4 pickled or preserved cucumbers
- 1 apple
- 1 onion
- 1 can of canned peas
- 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Dice the cooked and peeled vegetables.
- Add diced herring fillets, eggs, cucumbers, apple, and onion.
- Drain the peas and transfer them to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Mix the salad with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and a tablespoon of mustard.
- Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Be cautious with the amount of salt; the taste of the salty fillets might be sufficient.
