Herring under a fur coat is a classic and traditional salad. This salad for many years has been one of the main salads along with Olivier in post USSR countries. This is one of our favorite party salads that we make as a special treat. My husband loves it, and this year my youngest kid realized that it’s actually tasty, so next time I have to make more of it. People make this salad mainly for New Year’s party, but those who love it make whenever they crave for it:-)

Ingredients

Herring (don’t use the one that’s marinated in vinegar or wine)- 250 g

Onion - 1/2

Potatoes 2-3

Carrots - 2

Eggs - 3

Beets - 2

Mayonnaise about 2 Tbsp for each layer.

Recipe

• I rinsed and boiled the vegetables (potatoes, carrots and beets) in salted water. After the vegetables have cooled, I peeled them. I boiled them all together in the same pot, the only thing is that I had to time it. Carrots usually cook first, takes about 10-15 minutes. Then potatoes cook for about 20-30 minutes. Beets are the last, it can take anywhere from 45-60 minutes. So I take the veggies out and put them in a pot with cold water in that order.

• While vegetables were boiling, I boiled the eggs, cooled them in cold water, and peeled them from the shell.

• I used already prepared herring, but if you buy a whole fish then you need to prepare it yourself. Remove the head, tail, fins and backbone, pick out the remaining bones. Then cut herring into small pieces.

• In the next step I peeled, rinsed, and finely chopped the onion.

• Then I grated beets, carrots, potatoes and eggs on a coarse grater.

• This is how I assemble the salad in layers: herring, onion, potatoes, eggs, carrots, and beets. I covered each layer with mayonnaise. (I might have misplaced some of the middle layers, since I make this salad only on special occasions, but the taste doesn’t change because of that, I think).

Even though in a Russian speaking world this dish is called salad, I personally think it can serve as an independent dish on a regular day. It has everything in it: proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, fats. It’s loaded with calories, maybe even overloaded, but it’s ok if we don’t consume it daily.

I like cutting it like a cake, but there are other ways of serving it, in squares or rolls, it all depends on the cook’s way of serving it.

I hope you enjoyed the process photos.

Thank you for visiting!