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Forshmak in tartlets

Forshmak in Tartlets

A tasty chopped-herring spread! Forshmak in tartlets comes from Jewish cuisine, which observes a number of dietary rules. Under kosher law, only fish with fins are permitted. Salted herring was affordable even to the poorest families, and cooks would stretch it with permitted add-ins to vary the menu. (Forshmak is a classic Ashkenazi chopped herring spread.)

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Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Herring (lightly salted)

400

Apple

Prepared tartlet shells

White bread

100

Onion

Eggs

Vegetable oil

Water

Lemon juice

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 26 % 9 g

Fats 32 % 11 g

Carbohydrates 41 % 14 g

196 kcal

GI: 69 / 0 / 31

Cooking method

Step 1:

Gather your ingredients. You can buy a whole herring and fillet it yourself, or use ready-made fillets — you'll need 2. Lightly salted herring tastes best, though spice-cured works too; use whichever you prefer. A green, tart, or sweet-tart apple is recommended. The bread should be slightly stale — I used a baguette. Lemon juice or concentrate, your choice. Wash the eggs and hard-boil them for 10 to 12 minutes from boiling, then cool them right away under cold water.
Step 2:

Fillet the fish, remove the bones, and cut it into pieces for the blender. Save a few thin slices of fillet for garnish if you like.
Step 3:

Wash the apple, peel it, and cut out the core. Cut the flesh into pieces, any shape you like.
Step 4:

Cut the onion into quarters and pour the lemon juice over it. Marinating the onion is optional — you can skip this step. If you do marinate it, you'll get a distinct lemony note and tang, which is a matter of taste, but lemon and fish pair well. Just before blending, dip the slices of bread in water and squeeze them out; excess moisture can ruin the whole dish.
Step 5:

Blend the prepared ingredients in stages. First grind the onion and herring, adding 1 tablespoon of oil. Then gradually add the apple and bread. A meat grinder works too, especially if your blender is small. You can use soft butter; vegetable oil keeps it dairy-free.
Step 6:

Peel and grate the eggs separately. Then add them to the rest and blend everything until smooth. Taste, and add salt if needed and pepper if you like. Transfer the forshmak to an airtight container and chill it in the fridge so the flavors meld and it firms up. Forshmak isn't the prettiest dish, so when serving, garnish it with fresh herbs and grated yolk, or however you like.

Finished forshmak should have the consistency of a pâté you can spread on bread.
Traditionally, forshmak is served on a slice of dark rye bread. You can dry the bread on a dry surface or toast it.
For a party, serve it in tartlet shells — choose small, sturdy, one-bite shells; the kind made for serving caviar are ideal.
Store forshmak only in the refrigerator, for no more than 1 to 2 days.
There are many versions of forshmak today; Jewish communities live all over the world, and each region added its own preferences and tweaks. The recipe later caught on with other cultures and picked up still more variations.
This recipe doesn't claim to be authentic, but across all the versions I looked at, the classic ones used this set of ingredients.
To keep your eyes from stinging when you chop onions, rinse the onion and the knife with cold water. Your cutting board won't pick up the onion smell if you rub it with a piece of lemon first.
You can see how to fillet a herring, with step-by-step photos, in my recipe for Herring Under a Fur Coat with Apple.