I am a bit obsessed with eating famous dishes in their countries of origin so it’s no surprise that, while visiting St. Petersburg this summer, I had to order Herring under a Fur Coat. This Russian specialty features layers of sour cream, grated carrots, beets, potatoes and hard-boiled eggs blanketing herring fillets. In Russia it’s called shuba or seledka pod shuboi, which roughly translates to Herring under a Fur Coat. In my world it means a moist, flavorful and absolutely delicious meal.

Traditionally, Russians eat Herring under a Fur Coat at New Year’s Eve gatherings. It’s a staple of the holiday buffet table and, as I experienced, a common offering in restaurants. Savory and quite filling, it can serve as a starter, salad or entree. I had it for lunch as well as dinner and managed to eat it every day during my all-too-brief, 72-hour stay. That’s how extraordinary this dish is.

Fresh herring fillets

Living on the U.S. East Coast, I can access herring fairly easily. Usually, I buy it in pickled and smoked forms. However, if I want herring fillets, I’ll make a trip to the Lower East Side and Russ & Daughters for their Holland herring. Known in the Netherlands as matjes, these are fat, young herring that have yet to spawn and, as a result, have a velvety texture and mild, buttery taste.

Substituting pickled for fresh fish

Having written and toured to promote a book on this small, omega-3-rich fish, I realize that most Americans won’t find herring fillets in their local supermarkets. That’s why I will suggest making Herring under a Fur Coat not with the customary salted herring fillets but instead with pickled herring. Note that if you have an Ikea near you, you can buy pickled herring, called sill, in its food market. If using pickled herring, be sure to rinse off the vinegar marinade before adding the fish to the dish.

Just the fur coat

If you can’t track down pickled herring, I encourage you to make the “fur coat” part of this recipe. In other words, assemble the dish without the fish. The colorful combination of shredded beets, carrots, potatoes and eggs will please both the eye and the palate. Will it make you jump for joy? Try it and see what you think. As you can see from the photo below, it certainly made me happy!

HERRING UNDER A FUR COAT

Makes 6 to 8 servings

3 large beets
2 large potatoes
2 large carrots
1 small yellow onion, diced
8 ounces creme fraiche, divided
4 pickled herring fillets, rinsed and dried
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and pushed through a sieve or egg slicers
Ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepans bring 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the beets and cook for 45 minutes, until fork tender. As the beets are cooking, bring another large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Place the carrots and potatoes in the pan and cook for roughly 20 minutes, until softened.

Reserving 2 tablespoons of water from the beets, drain the vegetables and set them aside to cool. When they’re cool enough to touch, peel and then grate the beets, potatoes and carrots into separate bowls. You don’t want to mix the vegetables together.

In a deep, 8″ x 8″ baking dish evenly distribute the grated carrots. Top the carrots with the shredded potatoes and then the yellow onion. Using a thin spatula, spread half of the creme fraiche over the onions. Place the herring on top of the layer of creme fraiche. Layer the shredded beets over the fish.

In a small bowl whisk together the creme fraiche and 1 to 2 tablespoon of beet juice. Spread it over the beets. Sprinkle the eggs over the top and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or until ready to serve.

To serve, sprinkle ground black pepper over the eggs. Slice the dish into 6 or 8 equal portions and serve.