“Schuba” like Grandma’s

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g herring(s), in oil
• 1 small onion(s)
• 5 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 7 m.-sized potatoes
• 4 balls of beetroot, fresh or precooked
• 3 tbsp vinegar, light
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, neutral, e.g. sunflower or rapeseed oil
• a little mayonnaise or salad cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 12 hours 50 minutes

Russian layered salad with herring and vegetables, but here with less mayonnaise and a vegan alternative

Wash the vegetables, place them unpeeled in a large pot with plenty of water, and cook until al dente. Remove the potatoes and carrots earlier, as the beetroot needs a little longer. If the beetroot has been pre-cooked, do not peel or boil them. Let the vegetables cool, peel, and coarsely grate them. Mix the oil and vinegar together in a cup. Add more oil and vinegar if needed. Finely dice the herring and spread them out on the bottom of a shallow dish. Cut the onion into cubes or rings, arrange them on the herring, and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Layer the vegetables on top in the following order: potatoes, carrots, and beetroot. Drizzle each layer generously with the vinaigrette, including the top layer. The potatoes need plenty of vinaigrette, otherwise they will remain quite dry. Finish with a thin layer of mayonnaise or salad dressing. Let the salad marinate for a few hours, preferably overnight, before serving. It tastes best cold or at room temperature. Vegan version: This requires vegan mayonnaise. Replace the herring with sliced ​​green olives (tastes almost exactly like herring!). Be careful that the olive oil doesn’t contain lactic acid. Alternatively, you can use diced pickled cucumbers or gherkins. You can find the former in any Russian store or even in some supermarkets. The name of the dish, “Zeljodka pod schuboi,” means “herring in a fur coat,” but is popularly known as “shuba.” “Shuba” means “fur coat” and doesn’t rule out a vegan version without the fish.