Translated from German, “forshmak” means “snack”. This dish is served at the beginning of the feast. It is intended not so much to satiate the guests as to tease their appetite. Jews “borrowed” mincemeat from East Prussian cuisine. Initially, the Swedes served the dish under this name hot. The main ingredient in the Swedish version was either herring or meat.
The chopped main component was baked with potatoes, onions, peppers and sour cream. But it was the Jews who invented forshmak, which is known throughout the world - a cold appetizer made from salted herring.
Forshmak has long been considered a dish of the poor. It was prepared from low quality fish - “rusty”. To remove the unpleasant bitterness, housewives came up with the idea of soaking the herring in milk or tea. But a little time passed, and the dish for the poor began to be served in expensive restaurants: the appetizer was so to the taste of gourmets.
About the benefits of the main ingredient
Many people know that forshmak is a delicious snack. But the benefits of the dish are often kept silent. Those who care about their health should include a snack in their diet. The Swedes consider herring a tasty medicine. They are sure that if you eat this fish every day, there will be no health problems. Why herring is so useful, the table will tell you.
Table - Nutrients in herring
| Substance | Effect on the body |
| Selenium | — Powerful antioxidant; - slows down the aging process; - reduces the concentration of oxidation products in the blood |
| Vitamin D | — Strengthens bones; - improves kidney function |
| Iodine | — Stimulates brain activity; — increases the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels; - prevents the development of endocrine diseases; - helps fight stress |
| Phosphorus | — Strengthens bones; - responsible for dental health; - improves memory; - supports the functioning of nerve cells |
| Omega-3 | — Has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart; — prevents the development of atherosclerosis; - has a positive effect on the reproductive system; — improves the functioning of the nervous system; — prevents the development of dermatitis; - “takes care” of joints |
Doctors do not recommend indulging in salted herring if you have kidney disease. Hypertensive patients and people prone to edema should use the product with caution.
How to beautifully serve mincemeat
If you have green onion feathers, you can not only chop it into minced meat, but also decorate the appetizer on top with it. A slice of red tomato and a quarter of a quail egg add brightness to the dish. Pieces of rye bread are served separately.
A homemade serving solution would be sandwiches in the shape of boats. Place a layer of pate on a piece of bread. Place a skewer with a slice of lemon on top, shaped like a sail. Place fresh cucumber, cut into thin slices, on the dish next to it.
If the ingredients are blended into a homogeneous paste, it can be served on the holiday table. To do this, you will need a pastry bag and a nozzle. You can squeeze the mixture onto dry crackers or chips.
The pate looks original in small tartlets.
Presenting mincemeat beautifully does not require any special skills. Looking at the photo, you can decorate sandwiches yourself using the products you have at home. Olives, green twigs and leaves (dill, parsley), thin lemon slices are suitable.
Prepare a delicious and satisfying snack. It can always be used as a snack when you really want to eat, but the food has not yet been prepared. The dish can replace breakfast. It is tasty and satisfying. If you liked the recipe, don't forget to save it on your social network page. See you again!
Secrets of an excellent snack
How to cook mincemeat from herring so that it turns out really tasty? You need to know some tricks, and then a homemade snack can compete with a restaurant one.
- Selection of fish. Medium-salted herring is ideal for mincemeat. If you decide to make mincemeat from herring at home, you should choose a fatty carcass. Experienced chefs say that this way the snack will turn out tastier. Herring must be free of foreign odors and “rust”.
- Proportions of ingredients. To make the appetizer tasty, you need to add the ingredients of the dish in the correct proportions. The ideal option is when the herring makes up a third of the total weight of the snack. Otherwise, only herring taste will be felt.
- Balance of taste. When adding vinegar, lemon juice, or sugar to a snack, it is important not to disturb the harmony of taste. Forshmak should not be sweetish, “sourness” is allowed, but only subtle. Salt is usually not used, because the basis of the appetizer is salted fish.
- Correct consistency. The snack should not spread. The ideal consistency is a thick paste or pate. To achieve the correct texture, mix the ingredients in a blender or grind through a meat grinder. If you don’t like oily “smooth” textures, then the herring can be cut into small cubes and the remaining ingredients passed through a meat grinder.
Many modern housewives, before preparing mincemeat, soak the herring in strong black tea or milk, as they did in the old days. But not in order to disguise the freshness of the product. Use this life hack if you come across too salty fish. Divide the herring into fillets and soak them for two to three hours. Medium-salted herring does not need to be soaked.
Vegetable forshmak
Among all the options for Jewish snacks, I would also like to highlight vegetable forshmak, which is prepared with the addition of cabbage.
Ingredients:
- a small fork of white cabbage;
- 2-3 potato tubers;
- 1-2 eggs;
- 425 g herring fillet;
- 2 slices of white bread;
- 45 ml oil (drained);
- bulb;
- 20 ml milk;
- 115 ml sour cream;
- spices;
- grated cheese.
Preparation:
- Shred the cabbage and simmer in butter. We also sauté chopped onion in oil. Cut the herring fillet into small pieces.
- Soak the bread in milk and pass it through a sieve together with the boiled potatoes.
- Add raw yolks, sour cream, stewed cabbage, fried onions, fish and spices to them.
- Beat the whites and mix with the resulting mass.
- Sprinkle the mold with breadcrumbs, lay out the mincemeat, level it, sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Before serving, season the appetizer with butter.
Classic recipe for herring mincemeat: 2 options
Forshmak is the hallmark of Jewish cuisine. But the dish is also traditional for Odessa residents. Odessa has always had a large Jewish community, which has brought its own flavor to the local cuisine. Two mincemeat recipes are considered classic - Jewish and Odessa. They differ in additional ingredients, but the base is the same - lightly salted herring, onions, butter. Try to cook both options to understand where the food is tastier - in Israel or in Odessa.
Jewish
Description. The Jewish recipe for herring mincemeat involves the use of a minimum of additional ingredients. It is believed that they can interrupt the fishy taste of the dish. Stale bread is always added to the appetizer, because this is how forshmak was prepared back when the dish was called “the food of the poor.” The Jewish snack turns out fluffy and airy due to the use of soda. You need to take literally a pinch of it. It is important that the soda is not noticeable in the snack. It is better to stir the dish the old fashioned way - with a wooden spoon.
Components:
- lightly salted herring - one;
- stale loaf - three pieces without crust;
- onion - one large head;
- butter - 300 g;
- refined sunflower oil - five tablespoons;
- vinegar - by eye;
- soda - on the tip of the knife.
Preparation
- Clean the fish, remove the bones, cut the fillet into large pieces.
- Cut the peeled onion into several pieces.
- Sprinkle the loaf pulp with a small amount of vinegar - no more than two tablespoons.
- Scroll the fish, bread and onions in a meat grinder twice.
- Mix the resulting mixture with butter. It must stand at room temperature until it softens.
- Add some vegetable oil. Stir until smooth, then pour in the remaining amount of sunflower oil and mix everything thoroughly.
- Add a pinch of soda. Beat with a spoon until the snack reaches an airy consistency.
Which mincemeat recipe can claim the title of “real Jewish”, housewives can argue endlessly. Different families prepared the dish in their own way and considered it canonical. But in Israel they are sure that real mincemeat is, first of all, a minimum of ingredients.
Odessa
Description. The secret of delicious mincemeat in Odessa lies in the addition of sour apple and eggs. These ingredients are responsible for the delicate taste of the snack and its airiness. You definitely need to take a sour apple: the Antonovka and Simirenko varieties are excellent. In Odessa they believe that forshmak, to make you want to “lick your fingers,” can only come from fatty herring.
Components:
- large herring - one;
- onion - one head;
- sour apple - one large;
- boiled eggs - two;
- lemon juice - tablespoon;
- butter - 80 g;
- black pepper - optional.
Preparation
- Fillet the fish, remove bones and skin. Cut the fillet into pieces.
- Core the apple and remove the skin. Cut the prepared fruit into large cubes. Sprinkle the apple slices with lemon juice, otherwise they will darken and spoil the color of the snack.
- Cut the onion into cubes.
- Place the ingredients in a blender. Beat to a pate-like consistency.
- Add softened butter to the prepared mixture. It must first stand at room temperature.
- Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the whites to the dish.
- Blend the snack with a blender. If desired, you can add ground black pepper.
- Transfer the mincemeat to a container with a lid and refrigerate overnight. You can enjoy it in the morning.
Housewives often modify the popular recipe for minced herring “Odessa style”. Some add white loaf pulp soaked in milk to the ingredients for fluffiness, others add a little ginger root for freshness.
How to cook Jewish mincemeat with herring at home
There is another option that has also taken root in Jewish cuisine. Here white bread is added to the base, which is soaked in milk. It is believed that it makes the snack more tender and airy. For bread, it is better to take a loaf or a city roll.
Let's take:
- 2 herrings,
- 0.5 onion heads,
- 0.5 apples
- 1 glass of milk,
- 5 slices of bread,
- 2 eggs.
Step 1. Hard boil the eggs in advance. To do this, put them in cold water. After boiling, cook for 10 minutes. Then salt the water and peel the cooled eggs.
Step 2. Peel the apples and onions and cut them into quarters. You need to remove the core from the apple. You can use red salad onions, they are sweeter and complement the taste of the mincemeat.
Step 3. Peel the crusts from the bun and fill it with milk so that it covers the bread. The pulp will absorb almost all the liquid - this is good.
Step 4. Above I showed in detail how to peel herring. Therefore, you already know that the fish needs to have its fins, tail, head and entrails removed. Then pull out the ridge and remove the skin. The resulting fillets can be cut into pieces for convenience. It's not obligatory.
Step 5. Let's pass all the ingredients through a meat grinder. After the fish, pass the onion through to remove any remaining pieces from the grill. Then eggs and bread. Before twisting the bread, squeeze a little of the milk out of it. It is better to lower the apple as a last resort.
Then mix the resulting mass and spread it on the bread.
For beauty, sprinkle it with grated egg yolk on top. It tastes better when the dish sits in the refrigerator for a while and becomes thicker.
How else is this dish made?
Forshmak is a frequent “guest” of the holiday menu. Housewives especially appreciate snacks that require a minimum of ingredients, are prepared quickly and are so tasty that they fly off the table with lightning speed. Forshmak is just such a snack. Naturally, every housewife has her own secret to preparing the dish. After trying the classic version of mincemeat, prepare one of its popular variations - it’s no less tasty.
Don't be afraid to experiment. You can add fish seasonings, pine nuts, pickled cucumber or fried onions to mincemeat.
Bright: with melted cheese and carrots
Description. If you don’t like that the classic Jewish appetizer turns out faded in appearance, then for the holiday table you can prepare mincemeat of herring with carrots and processed cheese. The appetizer turns out bright due to the addition of carrots. Cheese is responsible for the delicate taste. You need to take processed cheese with a milky taste, without any additives: ham, mushroom and other options that can be found on supermarket shelves are not suitable.
Components:
- large herring - one;
- butter - half a pack;
- boiled carrots - one large;
- processed cheese - two blocks;
- dill - optional.
Preparation
- Clean the herring, fillet it, remove the pits. Cut the herring into medium cubes.
- Cut the carrots and cream cheese into large pieces.
- Chop the greens.
- Place the prepared ingredients into a blender bowl. Add softened butter.
- Blend the ingredients using an immersion blender to a paste-like consistency.
Prepare mincemeat from herring with melted cheese without carrots according to this recipe. For extra tenderness, you can add a boiled egg. By choosing which option is tastier, you can make it your signature dish.
Hearty: with potatoes
Description. Forshmak with potatoes turns out to be satisfying. The dish is prepared without butter, thereby departing from the classics. Instead, take vegetable oil - olive or sunflower. Vinegar can be replaced with lemon juice.
Components:
- salted herring - one;
- boiled potatoes - three tubers;
- hard-boiled eggs - two;
- onion - one large onion;
- dill - a small bunch;
- vegetable oil - four tablespoons;
- vinegar - a teaspoon.
Preparation
- Clean the fish from skin and bones. Cut into large pieces.
- Peel potatoes, eggs, onions. Chop these ingredients coarsely too.
- Pass the prepared ingredients through a meat grinder. Use a fine wire rack.
- Add vegetable oil, vinegar, and finely chopped herbs to the resulting paste. Mix thoroughly.
If you use sunflower oil, then it is important to understand that the unrefined snack will receive additional flavor, while the refined one is completely odorless, which is preferable.
Tsarsky: with caviar and salmon
Description. Housewives prepare mincemeat from herring, salmon and caviar exclusively on holidays. This is not an everyday dish, because gourmet ingredients are used. Such mincemeat can be prepared, for example, for a New Year's feast: guests will “gasp” at a truly royal snack. Due to the eggs, the mincemeat consistency is unusual.
Components:
- herring - 800 g;
- lightly salted salmon - 300 g;
- butter - 500 g;
- hard cheese - 400 g;
- red caviar - 100 g;
- lemon juice - to taste;
- mustard - tablespoon;
- dill, parsley - a bunch each.
Preparation
- Remove the skin from the herring, make two fillets, remove the bones.
- Cut herring and salmon into large pieces.
- Combine fish, grated cheese and mustard. Twist the mixture through a meat grinder (choose a grill with small holes).
- After standing for a couple of hours at room temperature, grind the butter to the consistency of sour cream.
- Chop the greens finely.
- Combine fish paste, oil, herbs, caviar. Add lemon juice to taste. Mix thoroughly.
If you come across herring with caviar, then it can also be used to prepare mincemeat. Add it at the end so that you can feel the eggs.
From Ilya Lazerson
Description. This snack recipe was suggested by the host of the “Celibacy Lunch” program, Ilya Lazerson. The main feature of the dish is the absence of oil. Lazerson’s forshmak turns out tender. The culinary specialist also offers a special way of serving the snack.
Components:
- herring - one big one;
- apple (necessarily sour) - one;
- onion - one head;
- hard-boiled eggs - three;
- sour cream - by eye;
- loaf - three slices;
- “Borodinsky” bread - for croutons.
Preparation
- Trim the crusts from the loaf slices. Soak the crumb in a small amount of water.
- Cut the fish, remove the skin, remove the bones. Cut the fillet into pieces.
- Peel the apple and remove the husk from the onion. Cut these ingredients into large pieces.
- Squeeze the soaked loaf and place it in a blender bowl. This also includes herring, apple, onion, and egg whites. Blend the mixture to a paste-like state.
- Make croutons from black bread. Slices should be fried in a dry frying pan.
- Place the mincemeat on the croutons, and top the appetizer with sour cream (about a teaspoon for each piece). Sprinkle with grated yolks and serve.
If you want the mincemeat to be airy, use fresh white bread for cooking. Add greens to the appetizer and the dish will immediately take on a fresh note.
Making mincemeat from herring is not difficult even for a novice cook. Traditional serving is simple - on toast, croutons or fresh bread. You can serve the appetizer in a salad bowl, and place a basket with different types of bread next to it: this way, guests will have a choice. Remember that you can experiment not only in the process of preparing dishes, but also in presentation. Forshmak can be served with a side dish, stuffed into “baskets” of shortcrust pastry or egg white halves, and wrapped in pancakes.
Video on the topic Recipe for mincemeat from herring
Recipe with potatoes
You can prepare mincemeat according to the classic recipe with potatoes. They do not put butter in it, thereby deviating from accepted traditions. When preparing this snack, olive or sunflower oil is used.
Vinegar should be replaced with juice squeezed from fresh lemon. The classic recipe for herring with butter involves the use of the ingredients listed below:
- 1 salted herring, 2 boiled potatoes;
- a pair of hard-boiled eggs, 1 large onion;
- small bunch of dill, 4 tbsp. l. olive oil;
- dessert spoon of vinegar.
You can prepare mincemeat from herring according to the classic step-by-step recipe as follows:
- First, the fish is cleaned of bones and skin. The herring is cut into large pieces. Carefully peel eggs, boiled potatoes, and onions. These products are also cut into large slices.
- Pre-prepared ingredients are passed through a meat grinder. In this case, a small “grid” is used. Vinegar, olive oil, and carefully chopped dill are added to the mixture. Mix thoroughly.
When preparing mincemeat, it is preferable to use refined sunflower oil. When you add unrefined oil, it will acquire a specific aroma.
