Śledź w Śmietanie (Polish Herring in Sour Cream)

About This Recipe

Śledź w Śmietanie is a real, traditional Polish dish, known as Polish Herring in Sour Cream. Salt-cured herring fillets marinated in a creamy, tangy sour cream and onion sauce, a classic cold appetizer.\n\nHerring has been an important preserved fish in Polish cuisine for centuries, thanks to salt-curing techniques suited to a landlocked winter diet, and śledź w śmietanie remains a standard dish at Polish Christmas Eve and New Year's celebrations.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Polish home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 400 gsalt-cured herring fillets(soaked and drained)
• 200 mlsour cream
• 1yellow onion(thinly sliced)
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• 1 tspsugar
• 0.25 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspchopped fresh dill
• 1apple(thinly sliced, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the herring

   Soak the salt-cured herring fillets in cold water or milk for several hours, changing the liquid once, to remove excess salt.

2. 2

   Drain and slice

   Drain thoroughly and slice the herring into bite-sized pieces.

3. 3

   Make the sauce

   Whisk together sour cream, lemon juice, sugar and black pepper.

4. 4

   Combine

   Layer the herring pieces with sliced onion (and apple, if using) in a container, then pour the sour cream sauce over the top.

5. 5

   Marinate

   Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the flavors meld.

6. 6

   Serve

   Garnish with fresh dill and serve cold with dark rye bread or boiled potatoes.

Variations

• •

  Add thin apple slices for a sweeter, more textured version, common in some regional recipes.

• •

  Some households add a spoonful of prepared mustard to the sauce for extra tang.

• •

  Serve over boiled potatoes as a light meal rather than just an appetizer.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions