Matjes herring with potatoes and sour cream

Swedish ready-to-eat matjes herring served cold with boiled new potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, sour cream and chives.

Preparation: 10 min · Cooking: 30 min · Total: 40 min · 4 servings

Ingredients

• 400 g ready-to-eat matjes herring — drained and chilled; fish allergen; check use-by date
• 250 g pasteurized sour cream — milk allergen; keep chilled
• 20 g fresh chives — rinsed and chopped
• 800 g new potatoes — scrubbed and boiled
• 4 pc eggs — hard-boiled; egg allergen

Instructions

1. Measure and chill ingredients

   Measure 400 g ready-to-eat matjes herring, 250 g pasteurized sour cream, 20 g fresh chives, 800 g new potatoes and 4 eggs. Keep the herring and sour cream refrigerated until serving; do not cook the herring.

2. Prepare potatoes, chives and herring

   Scrub the potatoes and rinse and chop the chives. Drain the matjes herring and cut any large pieces into bite-size portions. Return the herring to the refrigerator while the potatoes and eggs cook.

3. Hard-boil the eggs

   Place the eggs in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 9–10 minutes until hard-boiled. Cool under cold running water, peel and halve.

4. Boil the potatoes

   Put the potatoes in a second pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 15–20 minutes until a knife enters easily. Drain well and let cool until warm, not steaming, before arranging with the cold herring.

   Simmer potatoes: 1200 seconds

5. Arrange the platter

   Arrange the warm potatoes and egg halves on a platter. Add the drained cold matjes herring, spoon on all the sour cream and scatter the chopped chives over the top.

6. Check cooked items and cold fish

   Check that the potatoes are tender throughout and the egg whites and yolks are set. The herring must remain cold and ready-to-eat, and the sour cream chilled. Contains fish, egg and milk.

   Potatoes tender, eggs hard-boiled; herring cold.

7. Serve and store safely

   Serve promptly. Refrigerate leftovers covered at 4°C or colder within 2 hours and eat within 24 hours, or sooner if the herring use-by date requires. Do not reheat the herring or sour cream.

Tips

• Cool the potatoes to warm rather than hot before adding the cold herring and sour cream.

Common mistakes

• Do not boil the ready-to-eat matjes herring; only the potatoes and eggs need cooking.

Substitutions

• For a dairy-free version, replace the sour cream with an unsweetened cultured plant-based alternative; fish and egg allergens remain.

Storage

Refrigerate covered at 4°C or colder within 2 hours; eat within 24 hours and before the herring use-by date.

Reheating

Serve the herring and sour cream cold; do not reheat them. Leftover potatoes and eggs may be served cold.

About this recipe

Matjessill is seasoned Swedish herring served ready-to-eat, often with new potatoes, sour cream, chives and eggs at summer gatherings. Only the potatoes and eggs are boiled in this platter.

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.