German Herring Salad with Potatoes and Apple – Homemade Heringssalat Recipe
This is a hearty herring salad with potatoes, apple and pickled cucumber in a light sour-cream-and-yogurt dressing. In Germany, such salads often appear at supper, especially in winter and during carnival season. The flavor combines the saltiness of herring, the tang of pickles and apple, and the gentle creaminess of the dressing.
In Germany, Heringssalat is a typical winter salad, often served after the holidays and during carnival season, when there are leftover herring and potatoes in the fridge. In many regions it appears in a heavier, mayonnaise-based version – here it is inspired by the lighter variants from the north.
It combines classic Northern European flavors – herring, potatoes and pickles – in a creamy yet relatively light dressing, making it both satisfying and refreshing.
Why this version works
- Combining sour cream with yogurt makes a creamy yet lighter dressing that doesn’t overpower the herring.
- Potatoes boiled in their skins hold their shape better and don’t fall apart when mixed.
- Adding the apple at the end keeps it crunchy and brightens the flavor of the whole salad.
Chef's tips
Cook the potatoes in their skins and cool them completely before cutting; this helps them keep their shape in the salad. Adjust the salt only after soaking and tasting the herring, as it can vary in saltiness.
How to serve
Serve as a main element of a cold supper with dark rye bread, butter and sliced raw vegetables, or as part of a buffet with other salads and cold cuts.
Watch out for
- Don’t mix too vigorously – the potatoes will quickly turn into a purée and the dressing will become murky.
- If you don’t soak the herring long enough, it can overwhelm the salad with saltiness and make the dressing seem flat.
- Cutting the potatoes while they’re still warm will make them soak up too much dressing and fall apart.
Substitutions
- You can replace the sour cream with thick Greek yogurt if you want a lighter version.
- You can swap fermented pickles for gherkins, but the salad will be milder in flavor.
- Dill can be replaced with flat-leaf parsley if you don’t have fresh dill on hand.
Ingredients
- herring fillets - 300 g
- potatoes - 400 g
- apple - 1 piece
- pickled cucumber - 2 pieces
- onion - 1 piece
- plain yogurt - 150 g
- sour cream - 80 g
- mustard - 1 teaspoon
- dill - 2 tablespoons
- lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
- black pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
- sugar - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly, cover with cold lightly salted water and cook them in their skins for 15–20 minutes, until a fork slides in without resistance. Drain, let the steam escape, cool completely, then peel and cut into cubes of about 1.5 cm – the surface should be dry and matte.
- Taste the herring fillets; if they are very salty, soak them in cold water for 1–2 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes. Then pat dry with paper towels and cut into strips or larger cubes so they don’t fall apart in the salad.
- Wash the apple, remove the core and cut into small cubes just before mixing so it doesn’t brown. Cut the pickled cucumbers into similar-sized cubes and the onion very finely so it adds flavor without dominating each bite.
- In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, sugar and pepper. The dressing should be slightly tangy and gently sweet, with the consistency of thick cream that slowly runs off a spoon.
- Transfer the potatoes, herring, cucumbers and onion to a large bowl. Gently mix with a wide spoon or silicone spatula so the ingredients combine but the potato cubes stay intact.
- Add the apple and the yogurt–sour cream dressing. Mix very carefully from the bottom of the bowl until all the ingredients are evenly, thinly coated with the dressing, without crushing the potatoes.
- Sprinkle in the finely chopped dill and stir briefly once more. Taste the salad – if it feels too heavy, add a little more yogurt; if it’s too mild, season with pepper or lemon juice.
- Cover the bowl and chill the salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2–3 hours, until the flavors meld. The finished salad should be lightly creamy but not runny, with clearly visible pieces of herring, potatoes and apple.
Storage
Store the salad covered in the fridge and consume within 1–2 days. Over time the potatoes will soften and the flavors will intensify, so stir gently before serving again.
Homemade Heringssalat is one of those dishes that tastes even better after some time in the fridge, when all the flavors have had a chance to blend. It’s perfect for preparing a few hours ahead of guests arriving.
