Eggs and soused herring on crisp bread #179

Eggs and soused herring on crisp bread? Well this is a very Swedish appetizer that is commonly served on Smörgåsbord, Christmas and Easter but can and are served year round. The main ingredients are soused herring that is a mainly Scandinavian type of pickled herring (read more on it here), boiled eggs, chives and red onion. The Swedish name for this type of herring is "Matjsesill" but you can also use Swedish anchovies that is called "Ansjovis" this is however very different from the Mediterranean anchovies.

Now for the name, it´s called "Gubbröra" in Swedish which pretty much translates to "Old man´s mess", not that mouth watering for your weekend appetizer is it? Well that is why I called it eggs and soused herring on toast. 

Now for the ingredients, there are loads of variations on this dish, some use soft boiled eggs, mayonnaise, creme fraiche, sour cream, different types of onions and even other herbs like dill. The recipe below is my version of it so feel free to experiment with the flavors.

I like to serve it on a crisp bread that is common in Sweden called "Knäckebröd", it´s a non sweet crispy bread mostly served for breakfast or instead of fresh bread for soups or smaller dishes. If you can´t find any then a dark rye bread is good as well.

Eggs and soused herring on crisp bread

I usually don´t write measurements for my recipes but since you most likely haven´t got a clue I will this time, I written the ingredients in parts form so use as much as you plan on serving.

8 parts boiled chopped eggs

4 parts chopped soused herring (discarded from the pickling liquid)

1 part chopped red onion

1 part chopped chives

1 part mayonnaise

1 part creme fraiche

Crisp bread or rye bread for serving

Combine all ingredients, season with pepper, if you think it´s lacking salt then use the picking liquid from the herring instead of regular salt.

10 Easter appetizers!

Easter is up and what better way to spend it but eating loads of delicious food. I´ve put together some of my spring and easter favorites into this great collection, after each photo there is a link where you will find the recipe, now go cook and have a great easter!



Salmon with cucumber, dill and wasabi



Crayfish salad with dill on toast



Grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese



Smashed peas with mint on toast



Soused herring with egg, chives and potatoes



Fennel, shrimp, carrot and orange salad with dill



Soft boiled egg with broad beans and shrimp



Gazpacho salad



Lamb with goat cheese and herbs



Caesar salad

Soused herring with potatoes, egg and browned butter #92

In Sweden soused herring is a big deal, served throughout the year but with it´s peak on midsummer, then usually served with freshly picked potatoes, sour cream and onion.

This is another version that also tastes great. If you can´t get a hold of soused herring than you can replace with other Scandinavian style herring, as long as it´s salty and pickled it will work fine, even if the taste is different. And if you´re feeling inspired you can try another of my herring tapas.

Soused herring with potatoes, egg and browned butter

potatoes (in Sweden the new harvest of potatoes is a big deal and a must if you´re Swedish, if not you can replace it with a good tasting, firm and small potato).
soused herring
eggs
chives
butter
salt

Scrub the potatoes clean and boil in salted water until done, boil the eggs until hard boiled, peel the eggs and chop them. Slice pieces of herring thin, slice the potatoes and arrange potatoes, egg and herring on top of each other. Slice the chives and put on top.

In a pan add butter and let it turn brown in a pan on medium heat. Stir the butter during the whole process to make sure it doesn´t burn on the bottom of the pan. When it starts to turn brown carefully smell it, it should have a nutty aroma to it, and is the reason it´s called Beurre Noisette in french which translates to Hazelnut butter. If you haven´t used this much before then get to it because it´s has an amazing flavor and can be used to all sorts of good stuff. Pour the butter over the plate and serve immediately. Good luck.

Boquerones # 29

Boquerones is a spanish traditional tapas made from sardines, this recipe is with fresh herring wich has a slightly different taste but either one works fine.

Fresh herring filets
Lemons (for lemon juice)
Olive oil
Parsley
Chili
Garlic
Salt, pepper

Pull the skin of the herring and rinse in cold water, marinate the herring in lemon juice until the flesh has turned white all the way through the filet. Discard the lemon juice and marinate the herring in olive oil, chopped parsley, chili and a little bit of garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Fried herring with garlic mayonnaise & lemon # 25

Fried herring with garlic mayonnaise & lemon

Fresh herring (sardines works well if you can´t find herring)
Wheat flour
Salt
Water
Mayonnaise
Garlic
Salt
Oil for frying
Parsley

Mix salt with water to a brine with about 2% salt level. Remove the skin from the herring and put the herring in the brine for 2 hours.

Crush some garlic and mix with mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil for frying and remove the fish from the brine, pad the fish dry with som kitchen paper and dust with wheat flour, make sure every inch of the fish is covered. Fry the fish in the oil until golden, remove and sprinkle with salt.

Fry some parsley in the oil, add just a little a the time and be very careful and keep away from the oil because it will splash. Crush the parlsey over the fish and serve.

Soft boiled egg with soused herring & onion # 22

Soft boiled egg with soused herring & onion

Eggs
Soused herring (matjessill in Swedish, soused according to Google)
Schalotte onion
Chives

Boil the eggs for 5-7 minutes, cool in water peel and cut in halfes. Cut the herring in smaller pieces and top each egg half with one or two pieces. Put the onion on top and then sprinkle with chopped chives.