Herring under a Fur Coat

Herring Under a Fur Coat (Shuba / Селёдка под шубой)

A beloved Russian New Year classic: layers of finely grated vegetables and salted herring are topped with grated beetroot mixed into mayonnaise, which dyes the whole salad a deep magenta. It looks dramatic but is essentially a composed salad that benefits from resting overnight.

Prep

35 min

Cook

45 min

Total

80 min

Serves

6 to 8

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) salt-cured herring fillets, matjes or mild Dutch-style; soak if very salty
• •3 medium (about 300 g) (10½ oz) potatoes, waxy, for boiling
• •2 medium (about 200 g) (7 oz) carrots
• •2 medium (about 250 g) (9 oz) beetroot, cooked and peeled; raw boiled if you prefer deeper color
• •1 small (about 100 g) (3½ oz) onion, finely grated; traditionalists use raw
• •3 large eggs, hard-boiled; cook to 77°C internal — about 10 min from boiling
• •200 g (7 oz / roughly ¾ cup) mayonnaise, Russian-style is slightly thinner; substitute Best Foods/Hellmann's
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt, only if herring is mild; taste first
• •1 g (¼ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •5 g (1 tsp) dill or chives, optional garnish

Steps

1. 1 Hard-boil the eggs: simmer from cold, 10 minutes once water boils, then chill in ice water. Cook the potatoes, carrots and beetroot separately in lightly salted water until just tender (a knife slides in easily but they are not falling apart), 20 to 35 minutes depending on size. Cool, then peel.
2. 2 Taste the herring. If very salty, cover with cold milk or water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Remove and discard skin and any pin bones. Cut into 1 cm (about ½ in) dice.
3. 3 Choose a ring mold or a 22 cm (9 in) springform pan on a flat platter for sharp, layered edges; otherwise use a deep glass dish and serve in a mound. Lightly grease with a thin swipe of mayonnaise if using a mold.
4. 4 Layer 1 — grated potato: grate the cooled potatoes on the coarse side of a box grater directly into the dish. Press into an even 1 cm (about ½ in) layer, season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise over the top.
5. 5 Layer 2 — herring: scatter the diced herring evenly over the potato, then sprinkle the finely grated onion across. Spread another 2 to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
6. 6 Layer 3 — grated egg and carrot: separate the hard-boiled eggs; crumble the whites over the herring, then grate the carrots on top. Season lightly and spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
7. 7 Layer 4 — beetroot blanket (the 'fur coat'): finely grate the beetroot, pat dry with a clean towel if very wet, then fold together with the remaining mayonnaise (about 4 to 5 tablespoons) in a bowl until uniformly magenta. Spread this mixture as the top layer, smoothing the surface.
8. 8 Decorate: grate the cooked egg yolk over the center, and scatter chopped dill or chives. For sharp molded edges, chill 1 hour before unmolding.
9. 9 Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, ideally overnight (12 hours), so the layers meld and the beet color bleeds downward. Serve cold, in slices, with rye bread and a shot of chilled vodka if you like.