Countdown to midsummer part IV – Marinated herring

From our perspective, the most important ingredients on the midsummer table, except from Snaps, are all different kinds of home-made herring. Unfortunately, if you use salted herring they need at least 60 h to get really tasty. If you live near a IKEA you can get hold of pre-marinated herring that you could spice up. The pre-marinated herring was salted and has been soaked. Then, just mix all ingredients, including the herring, at marinate for at least 12 hours. Herring without milk products last for a week in the fridge. Do you use milk products you should finish it within 4 days which won’t be a problem.

From left to right: Lemon herring, Onion herring, Curry herring, Ginger, lime and fennel herring, Bloody Björn herring

Lemon herring

• 420 g pickled Herring
• 1 dm Leek
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 tbsp Mustard
• 1/2 dl Rape oil
• 1 Lemon, juice and zest
• 1-2 tbsp Sugar
• 5 tbsp Crème Fraiche

Let the herring rest in water for 4-6 hours. Cut the herring in 2 centimeter pieces. Cut the leek in small cubes. Save some for garnish. Blend egg yolk with mustard and add rape oil until you get a smooth sauce. Add the leek cubes, lemon zest and juice, sugar and crème fraiche – stir and then add the herring. Keep in the fridge and before serving garnish with leek and lemon.

When you use salted herring you need to soak it before using it. Ask for salted herring fillets in your local fish store. Put the fillets in cold water and leave them over night. Remove the water the next day and your ready to start.

Onion herring

• 2 Herring fillets, salted
• 1 small Red Onion
• 1 dm Leek
• 1 Clove
• 1 Allspice
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1,5 dl Water
• 1 dl Sugar
• 0,5 dl Vinegar essence, 12%

Soak the herring in the fridge for at least 12 hours (can use pre-marinated herring instead). Start by letting water and sugar come to a boil. Let it cool off and add the vinegar essence. Put the herring in the fluid and add the rest of the ingredients. Keep in the fridge until serving.

Curry herring

• 2 Herring fillets, salted
• 1 tbsp Curry
• 1 tbsp Rape oil
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 dl Sour cream
• 1/2 Apple, Granny Smith, chopped
• 3 cm Leek, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

Blend curry, rape oil and egg yolk. Whisk or shake it to a smooth sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients. Keep in the fridge until serving, decorate with apple and curry.

Ginger, lime and fennel herring

• 2 Herring fillets, salted
• 2 tbsp Vinegar essence, 12%
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 2 dl Water
• 1 Lime, the juice
• 1/2 Fennel, thinly sliced
• Dill
• 1 cm Ginger, finely chopped
• 5  Szechuan pepper corns
• 1 Yellow Onion

Soak the herring for at least 12 hours in the fridge (you can use pre-marinated herring as a substitute). Let the water and sugar come to a boil, let cool off add vinegar essence and the herring. Add the rest of the ingredients. Keep in the fridge until serving.

Bloody Björn herring

• 2 Herring fillets, salted
• 1 dl Ketchup
• 1/2 dl Tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Rape oil
• 1/2 tbsp Vinegar essence, 12%
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Capers
• 1/2 Red onion, chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• Dill

Soak the herring for at least 12 hours in the fridge (you can use pre-marinated herring as a substitute). Blend all the ingredients to the sauce together. Add the herring. Keep in the fridge until serving.

Music: one snaps song per herring

Countdown to midsummer part I – Warm matjesherring

We just realized it has been a while since we posted any Scandinavian dishes. This will now be changed. On Friday Midsummer is celebrated in Sweden so this week will be dedicated to Swedish food.

Midsummer eve is always on the Friday between 19-25th of June. Why we celebrate Midsummer depends on who you ask. Christians have their reasons and atheists their’s. Nowadays Midsummer is connected to dancing around the Midsummer pole, lots of food and lots of alcohol. It is one of the toughest evenings for the police and if you thought of invading Sweden, Midsummer day would definitely be the day to do it.

This is a food blog so cut the crap and get down to business. Four ingredients are on everyone’s tables at Midsummer; new Swedish potatoes, herring, strawberries and snaps. Not in that order, but this is what Swedes traditionally eat on Midsummer. Most people eat a lunch with focus on herring. Matjesherring is a must and this herring is not the same as the one produced in the Netherlands. Is is much spicier and if you live outside Sweden, you will get it at every IKEA-warehouse in the world.  In addition to matjesherring, different kind of marinated herring accompanied by fresh Swedish potatoes and loads of Snaps are served. In the afternoon you have coffee and strawberry cake. In the afternoon you often have different competitions but you never leave your beer out of sight. If you still stand when the hunger sets in again, most people light their grills.

We start paying homage to Midsummer with a herring dish.

Ingredients

• 400 g matjesherring (Swedish version that is marinated in sugar, cinnamon, clove, allspice)
• 100 g butter
• 500 g fresh potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1 red onion
• dill

Boil the potatoes and the eggs. Cut the egg in small pieces. Chop the onion and the dill fine. Put the matjes in an aluminium foil and put in oven (100 ⁰ C) for 5 min. Melt the butter.

Serving: Put the matjes on a plate and poor the melted butter on top. Add egg, dill and onions. Serve with potatoes. Enjoy with a cold beer and a snaps.

Music: The most well known snaps song Helan går.

3 from 1 – Swedish tapas

These smörrebröd are perfect for lunch or as a starter. These pieces are part of what we serve when celebrating Midsummer or Xmas. The difference is that we at Midsummer and Xmas don’t settle with one snaps.

From left to right: Terrine of salmon with horseradish and apple, creme of smoked herring, Gubbröra

Terrine of salmon

• 100 g smoked salmon
• 1 green apple, chopped into small squares
• 1 dl creme fraiche
• 1 dl creme cheese
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1/2 grated fresh horseradish
• 1 spring onion chopped into slices
• salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients with a spoon. Spread it on a plastic wrap and roll it to a cylinder. Put in the freezer for half an hour. It is then easier to cut into nice pieces. Serve with cucumber, dill and some lemon.

Creme of smoked herring

• 2 smoked herrings
• 1 pickled gherkin, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 dl creme fraiche
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• salt, pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Serve with some pumpernickel or  crisp bread.

Gubbröra

• 6 fillets of anchovy (Swedish style)
• 3 boiled egg
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp Kalles Kaviar (typical Swedish caviar that is not necessary)
• 1 dl creme fraiche
• chives
• dill

Chop everything into fine pieces and mix with a spoon. Serve with pumpernickel or crisp bread.

To the tapas you should drink a cold beer and a nice Aquavit. Don’t forget to sing a snaps song!