Russian Selyodka
There is not a shortage of fish in the Kaliningrad Province close to the Baltic sea. Here in Argentina we battle to find fresh sea fish, especially if you live in the middle of the country. I dread buying fish in the supermarket because who knows for how long it has been frozen.
Needless to say we were dying for sea fish when we arrived in Russia. Pickled Herring or Selyodka (Сельдь) is very common and popular in Russia. You find Herring in many traditional dishes like “selyodka pod shuboy”. I will write about this delicious dish in another post.
You can buy Selyodka almost anywhere from supermarkets to Black Markets (Markets that sell almost everything from clothes to meat) and prepare it yourself at home. If you don`t want to buy a big fish then it is easier to buy the pre-packed Herring in the supermarkets.
Just in time to take a photo before it was all gone.
There are many different products on the shelves and quality and taste vary from brand to brand. Selyodka is served cut into pieces and seasoned with sunflower oil and onions, or can be part of herring salads, which are usually prepared with vegetables and seasoned with mayonnaise dressing (selyodka pod shouboy). Sometimes a little coriander or caviar is added on top to give it extra flavour.
How do you eat Selyodka in Russia?
We like to eat it with whole wheat bread. You put the fish on top of the bread and eat it as an appetizer. Sometimes we would make a salad and eat Seloydka and bread when we were not very hungry. To wash the bread and fish down we drank beer or Vodka.
Herring is an oily fish and has a strong, savory, rich and salty flavor. It is such a pity we cannot buy Herring in our supermarkets. I really grew fond of this delicious fish.
Where: Russia
When: May – August 2012
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I really don’t think of Russia when I think of great food but that dish looks delicious!!!
It is really good Jim! You cannot believe the texture of this fish. I didn`t like the oil a lot but it is an oliy fish. We ate this almost every night and I miss it now! I will be writing more about the different kinds of food. It is really interesting to see what Russians eat and like. Thanks for the visit!