Schrat's round matjes salad

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 fish fillets (matjes double fillets)
• 80 g apple
• 80 g gherkins, sweet and sour pickled
• 80 g beetroot, sweet and sour pickled
• 80 g shallot(s)
• 80 g radishes
• 125 g crème fraîche with herbs
• 1 bunch chives, in rolls
• 2 tsp caviar (trout caviar)
• Dill (twigs), for garnishing
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Depending on the dessert ring size, it is an amuse gueule or intermediate course in a menu

Separate the double fillets and cut lengthwise into strips about 3 cm wide. Trim the narrower tail end so that the strips remain the same width. When prepared this way, the herring strips will be between 15 and 18 cm long. The dessert ring, with a diameter of 5.5 cm, can be completely lined with a fillet cut to size. For larger rings, one fillet is not enough; a second one must be added. Dice the remaining herring pieces and set aside. Peel, core, and dice the apple, and drizzle with a little lemon juice to prevent the cubes from turning brown. Finely dice the cucumber, beetroot balls, shallots, and radishes. Mix a teaspoon of each type of diced herring with the diced herring, season with a little pepper, and layer them in the rings, pressing down firmly. Layer in the order apple, cucumber, beetroot, shallot, and radish. A colorful mix of everything can be piled on top. Finish with a dollop of crème fraîche, garnished with caviar and chives. As an additional side dish, mix the remaining crème fraîche with the remaining diced vegetables, chives, and 2 teaspoons of caviar, and season with lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Serve with oven-fresh baguette or boiled potatoes.