Salad of matjes and green beans Fiefhusen style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 6 herring fillets
• 500 g beans, fresh green
• 5 sprigs savory, fresh (alternatively 1 tsp dried)
• 100 ml mayonnaise
• 150 g sour cream
• 1 lemon(s), organic
• ½ bunch parsley, flat with stems, medium-finely chopped
• 1 pinch of cardamom, ground
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• n. B. salt and pepper, freshly ground
• Sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

delicious Holstein matjes salad with bright green beans

First, the beans: Clean and thoroughly wash the beans. Then, cut the beans into approximately 2-3 cm long pieces. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the beans for 10 to 12 minutes until al dente. Check occasionally to ensure the beans don’t become too soft. Drain the beans and immediately blanch them in a large bowl of iced water. This will retain their bite and their bright green color. Set the beans aside. Now, the matjes: First, taste the matjes. They range in quality from extremely salty to pleasantly mild. If the matjes is too salty, rinse thoroughly under cold running water and pat dry. As a native of Glückstadt (on the Elbe River in Schleswig-Holstein), I would, of course, only use genuine Glückstadt matjes. If you ever get the chance to try genuine Glückstadt matjes: DO IT! Specially produced, with a distinctive flavor and as tender as lukewarm butter. Simply delicious. Now, cut the matjes into large cubes. Now comes the marinade: In a sufficiently large bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sour cream. If you want to make the mayo yourself, I recommend my recipe “Lightning-Fast Mayonnaise in One Minute,” which you can also find here at chefkoch.de. Now grate half of the lemon zest over the mixture. Be careful with the white pith under the zest: don’t grate it, as it is very bitter. Now add the juice of half the lemon. Chop two-thirds of the parsley, including the stems, medium-finely and add it. I always use the stems, too, as they give the whole dish more “bite” and even more flavor than the leaves. Pull the savory leaves from the stems directly into the marinade; alternatively, add the dried savory. Now add the cardamom and cayenne pepper and mix everything thoroughly with a whisk. Season to taste with salt, sugar, and pepper. If the matjes is very salty, be very careful with the salt and leave it out for now if necessary. The salad also thrives on a nice balance of acidity and sweetness. I like it a little sweeter. It’s best to add sugar gradually until your “personal taste” is achieved. Add plenty of freshly ground pepper. Herring and Beans: Now add the matjes and the thoroughly drained beans to the marinade and mix everything thoroughly. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Stir again before serving and check the salt content again, carefully adjusting the seasoning if necessary. Arrange on a plate with a serving ring and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Fried potatoes, buttered black bread, or pumpernickel are wonderful accompaniments. A pickled gherkin wouldn’t hurt either.