Karrysild (Herring in Curry Sauce) and Akvavit
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Pickled Herring in Curry Sauce |
Last week, I was in India on business, business that is completely unrelated to this blog, yet the trip inspired me to dedicate this week's blog post to the most Indian-like smørrebrød pålæg I could come up with - pickled herring in curry sauce. Admittedly, I am really reaching to make any connection whatsoever between the wide array of spice-infused curries found in the many different regional cuisines of India and the curry in karrysild (curried herring), but I never claimed to know anything about Indian food so I'm going to take a few liberties here!
Being a fanatic about sandwiches in general, and open-faced sandwiches in particular, I was curious about sandwich culture in India. With every opportunity that presented itself, I jumped at the chance to try different sandwich-like foods: Some good (see below) and some not so good (like the road-side eggs on toast). Anyway, this isn't a blog about India, so I'll cut to the chase and show you a couple of my discoveries.
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| Dhokla: Indian Open-faced "ish" Sandwich. Yum. Especially with curry. Paratha: Indian Close-faced Sandwich - hiding something? Maybe, but Yum. Naan/Paneer: Yum open or closed! |
Anyway, enough about India. Let's get on with the Danish recipe. Pickled herring with curry sauce is very easy to make and can be eaten at lunch or as part of a larger smørrebrød extravaganza - called a cold table (something I need to post about one of these weeks). While the combination of ingredients in this recipe may seem a bit odd to the uninitiated, I assure you that the flavours are surprisingly nice together! The sweet crunch of the apple, coupled with the smooth spice of the curry, nicely supports the tart herring and rounds out its fishy edges. And it all goes great with an ice cold Akvavit to wash it down! (More on this later)
In order to make this recipe you'll need to have already prepared (or purchased) dark Danish rye bread and pickled herring. The recipe itself requires no cooking, and no special ingredients, and as such gets a Danish Degree of Difficulty of Easy. Here's what you need to know in order to make karrysild:
Ingredients
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- 5 pickled herring filets, sliced in 1 cm strips
- 2 tbsp creme fraiche
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp mild curry paste
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 dill pickle, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp pickled herring liquid
- half an apple, cored and sliced thinly or chopped
- 1/4 tsp coriander seed, crushed
- 1/4 tsp mustard seed, crushed
- salt & pepper to taste
- dill or chive for garnish
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| Ingredients for karrysild |
Instructions
- Stir to combine creme fraiche, mayonnaise, Dijon and curry paste.
- Add crushed spices, pickles, capers, onions and pickling liquid and combine. Allow to refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavours to blend.
- Remove from fridge, add sliced herring and apples to sauce.
- Serve about 1/3 of a cup of mixture on buttered Danish rye bread and garnish with dill and chives (or green onion). Enjoy with fork and knife!
As I mentioned at the top of the article, this open-faced sandwich is perfect with a nice ice-cold shot of akvavit. Akvavit is a strong spirit a bit like vodka, often flavoured with herbs or spices such as dill or caraway. The word akvavit itself means water of life, which is good, since the drink sure can make things lively when downed with Danish open-faced sandwiches! There are many Akvavit producers in the world, producing drinks of widely varied tastes, but if you are looking for something Danish, your best bet outside of Denmark is to seek out the brand Aalborg Akvavit. Aalborg is a Danish spirits distillery that specializes in Akvavit. Based in the town of Aalborg in northern Jutland (the mainland peninsula of Denmark), the company has been distilling spirits for since 1846. Learn more about Aalborg here.
Akvavit is commonly consumed along with open-faced sandwiches, to rinse away the strong fishy flavours of smoked or pickled herring, but more importantly, to liven up the occasion. Akvavit must be served ice cold in shot glasses, and most people just shoot it (as opposed to sipping it), since it tastes best that way. And ideally, you toast enthusiastically like a mad buch of Vikings before knocking back the old hootch! When toasting, the Danish word for "cheers" is skål (pronounced sk-ohl).
After drinking, try to laugh off the burning sensation in your throat and lungs!
In Denmark, the most common akvavit is probably the caraway-based Taffel Akvavit, but personally, I prefer a lighter, fresher taste more along the lines of anise. I don't know if such a thing is available commercially, but it is amazingly easy to make at home (not distilling required!). If you are interested in making your own akvavit to go with your smørrebrød, here's what you need to do. (By the way, the Aalborg Akvavit web site also has information about spicing your own spirits. Read about it here.)
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| Homemade spiced akvavit |
Ingredients
- 750 ml bottle of Vodka
- 3 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
- 3 star anise, crushed
Instructions
- Pour about 200ml of vodka in a jar. Put aside the bottle with the rest of the vodka. You will need it later.
- Add crushed spices to the vodka in the jar and shake thoroughly.
- Let the spiced vodka sit for at least a day or two, or even a week. Shake occasionally.
- Strain the spiced vodka completely, first through a fine meshed sieve, and after through a coffee filter.
- Add the spiced vodka to the rest of the bottle and put in the freezer until ice cold.
- Drink with herring. And don't forget the "Skål!"
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