Starter Polish
Herring tartare with green apple and horseradish cream
Meat & fish
Editorially prepared
Finely diced herring with crisp green apple and fresh tarragon. Served as a small starter with horseradish cream alongside and crisp rye bread.
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Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
Scale the ingredients in proportion to the number of servings, but add the horseradish, tarragon, lemon and pepper gradually, tasting as you go. Allow extra time for fine chopping and shaping larger quantities; still prepare the apple just before serving.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of thick soured cream, 18% fatthick plain Greek yoghurt
Use in place of the soured cream within the listed volume range. The cream will taste less rich and usually tangier; choose a thick yoghurt without separated whey.
- Instead of fresh tarragonfresh dill
If fresh tarragon is unavailable, add finely chopped dill to taste. It suits the herring and apple but will not reproduce tarragon’s aniseed flavour.
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Optional ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need
chopping board and sharp knife · kitchen scales and measuring spoons · kitchen paper · mixing bowl and a small bowl for the apple · small covered bowl for the cream · fridge · four small plates · optional small plating ring
Method
0/6 stepsDice the herring
Drain the herring fillets and check for any remaining bones. Use mild, ready-to-eat fillets; if they need soaking, do this beforehand as described in the tips. Pat the herring thoroughly dry with kitchen paper and cut into dice about 3–4 mm across without crushing the flesh. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate while preparing the remaining ingredients.
Dice the herring Mix the horseradish cream
Mix the soured cream with the grated horseradish in a small bowl, adding it gradually within the listed range and tasting as you go. Season with a little pepper. The cream should be evenly mixed, punchy and thick enough to hold its shape on a teaspoon; fine horseradish fibres may remain. Cover and place in the fridge.
Mix the horseradish cream Chill the cream
Chill the cream for about 10 minutes from placing it in the fridge. Meanwhile, prepare the apple and tarragon and mix the tartare in the following steps. Before serving, check that the cream is cool and still holds its shape on a teaspoon; if it is not yet cool, leave it in the fridge longer and keep the finished tartare chilled too.
10:00Chill the cream Prepare the apple and tarragon
While the cream chills, wash the board and knife used for the fish. Wash and peel the apple, then remove the core. Cut the flesh into dice similar in size to the herring. Immediately sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and toss: the cubes should be moistened, not sitting in juice. Rinse and dry the tarragon, strip off the leaves and chop them finely.
Prepare the apple and tarragon Mix the tartare
Take the herring out of the fridge. Gently fold in the apple and chopped tarragon, keeping the dice intact. Taste and season with pepper. If the mixture seems dry, add a little of the optional olive oil; it should not pool at the bottom of the bowl. Keep the horseradish cream separate.
Mix the tartare Shape and serve
Check that the cream is chilled. Divide all the tartare equally between the plates and shape into low mounds with a spoon or a loosely filled plating ring, lifting the ring off carefully. Divide all the horseradish cream alongside the portions. Add one rye crisp to each plate, keeping it clear of the cream and tartare so it stays crisp. Serve immediately.
Shape and serve
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Tips
- If the fillets are too salty, soak them in cold water in the fridge before starting the recipe, checking the flavour every 30 minutes. Allow an extra 30 minutes–2 hours depending on their saltiness; change the water and continue soaking if needed. Drain and pat thoroughly dry afterwards.
- Use a sharp knife rather than a food processor: the herring and apple should remain in distinct small dice.
- The cream should be thick before chilling. Thin soured cream or watery horseradish will not thicken noticeably during a short spell in the fridge.
- Do not pack the tartare tightly into a ring. Without a thick binder it will be delicate; alternatively, shape it into a low mound with a spoon.
Storage
Serve immediately after mixing for the best texture. Keep the tartare and cream separately in sealed containers in the fridge at 4°C or below for no more than 24 hours, and never beyond the opened herring’s use-by instructions. Store the crispbread separately in a dry place. Do not freeze the finished tartare, as the apple will lose its crunch.
Timing
Hands-on: 25 min · Cooking: 0 min · Resting: 10 min
The total allows for tasks done in parallel. The individual times can overlap.
