April 21, 2023

Not Your Mother's Herring


Not Your Mother's Herring
Dressed herring. Wikimedia Commons.

Herring under a fur coat, a revered and traditional Russian dish, is savored by the masses on both extraordinary and everyday occasions. In honor of the iconic delicacy, RIA Novosti reported how renowned chefs at Moscow's finest eateries have put their unique spin on the beloved fish dish.

Uley: Denis Korolkov's stove-smoked herring under a fur coat

Ingredients:
Boiled potatoes - 60g
Homemade mayonnaise - 50g
Boiled carrots - 30g
Herring fillet - 80g
Garlic - 2g
Black caviar - 5g
Red onion - 1g
Dill - 1g
Oil with herbs - 1g

For decoration:
Black caviar - 10g
Parsley, dill - 2g
Butter with herbs - 5g

Directions:
Place the chopped, boiled vegetables, herring, and egg into a glass jar in this sequence: potatoes, carrots, herring fillets, potatoes, herring fillets again, then beets. Separate each layer with a layer of mayonnaise.

Decorate with shredded egg in a pyramid shape, and pile caviar, dill, parsley, and green oil on top. Before serving, fill the jar with smoke from the stove and roll.

On a separate plate, make three canapés with the herring on buckwheat toast, decorating them with caviar, onions, and herbs.

Dizengoff/99: Viktor Sinelnikov's forshmak

Ingredients:
Herring fillet - 250g
Red onion - 50g
Apple - 200g
Butter - 70g
Eggs - 3
Mayonnaise - 70g

Directions:
Chop up the boiled eggs and dice the remaining ingredients. Combine everything with room-temperature butter.

For the mayonnaise, whisk an egg with mustard, salt, lemon juice, and vegetable oil. The mixture should turn thick. You can season it with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice to your liking.

Plate the mixture with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of green onions. Serve with slices of Borodinsky bread

Expedition: Yuri Sysoev's herring with warm potatoes and horseradish

Ingredients
Olyutorskaya herring - 4 pieces
Potato - 500g
Horseradish - 10g

For the brine:
Water - 2L
Sugar - 60g
Sea salt - 140g
Bay leaf - 3 leaves
Sweet pea pepper - 4 peppers
Cloves - 3 pieces
Cinnamon - to taste

Directions:
Rinse and dry the Olyutorskaya herring. Bring the water to a boil, and add all of the spices. Let it cool and then pour over the fish. Leave the dish in the refrigerator for five days.

Fillet the herring into chunks and serve with chopped horseradish and fresh, warm potatoes.

You Might Also Like

Eat. Bake. Protest.
  • January 25, 2023

Eat. Bake. Protest.

How a woman from Moscow turned a cake business into an anti-war protest and helped charities.
Food, Dance, Poets
  • January 25, 2023

Food, Dance, Poets

In which we review books about food, dance, poetry, and Stalin.
A Glutton's New Year Feast
  • January 01, 2022

A Glutton's New Year Feast

The pirog is quite capable of holding the flag as the most important dish in Russian cuisine. It is a filling, generous, and hearty meal, containing all the major food groups (vegetables, animal protein, grains, and bread) rolled up in one.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955