German Cold Potato and Herring Salad Recipe
This salad combines potatoes, herring, apple and pickled cucumber in a creamy yet slightly tangy dressing. In Germany, similar salads appear on cold buffets, especially in winter and around New Year’s Eve. It’s something between Polish vegetable salad and herring in cream, only more potato-forward.
It combines classic Northern European flavors—potatoes, herring, apple and pickles—into a creamy, satisfying salad that works both as a starter and a light meal.
Chef's tips
Make sure the potatoes are fully cooled before mixing; warm potatoes can break apart and make the salad mushy. Taste the herring first and adjust the amount of salt in the dressing accordingly.
How to serve
Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves with extra dill on top, alongside rye bread and sliced red onion. It also works well as part of a larger cold buffet with other fish dishes.
Ingredients
- potatoes - 600 g
- herring - 250 g
- apple - 1 piece
- pickled cucumber - 2 piece
- onion - 0.5 piece
- yogurt - 150 g
- mayonnaise - 60 g
- mustard - 10 g
- dill chopped - 2 tablespoons
- lemon juice - 10 ml
- salt - 3 g
- black pepper ground - 1 g
Preparation
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly and cook them in their skins in salted water for 15–20 minutes, until tender but not falling apart. Drain and cool completely.
- If the herrings are very salty, rinse them under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into strips or larger cubes.
- Peel the cooled potatoes and cut into large cubes.
- Peel the apple (if the skin is tough), remove the core and cut into small cubes. Dice the pickled cucumbers finely. Finely chop the onion.
- In a bowl, mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper until you have a smooth dressing.
- Place the potatoes, herring, apple, cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Add the chopped dill.
- Pour the dressing into the bowl with the other ingredients and mix very gently, preferably with a large spoon, so the potatoes don’t fall apart.
- Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors can meld. Serve well chilled.
Storage
Keep the salad in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 1–2 days. Stir gently before serving, and if it seems too thick, loosen it with a spoonful of yogurt.
