About this dish
The world's most pungent food — fermented Baltic herring in a tin, the contents of which smell so powerfully that the tin must be opened outdoors. A delicacy of northern Sweden, eaten on crispbread with soured cream, red onion and potatoes. The flavour is milder than the smell suggests. Airlines ban it as cargo. Swedes eat it with pride.
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Ingredients
🐟Surströmming, 1 tin (400g), drained
🫓Tunnbröd (Swedish thin crispbread), 8 pieces
🥔Almond potatoes (or waxy new potatoes), 500g boiled and cooled
🧅Red onion, 2 small, finely diced
🥛Soured cream or crème fraîche, 200ml
🌿Fresh dill, a small bunch, roughly chopped
🧈Unsalted butter, softened, for spreading
🍋Lemon, 1, cut into wedges to serve
Method
Serves 41
Open the tin of surströmming outside — this is essential, not optional. The smell is extraordinarily powerful, so keep it away from open windows and warn your neighbours.2
Drain the brine from the tin and carefully remove the fish fillets, peeling away any skin and gently running your finger along the backbone to separate the flesh into flat fillets. Rinse briefly under cold water if you prefer a slightly milder flavour.3
Boil the potatoes until just tender, then drain and leave to cool until you can handle them. Slice into rounds about 1cm thick.4
Lay out the pieces of tunnbröd and spread generously with softened butter. This is the traditional base and it balances the saltiness of the fish beautifully.5
To assemble, place a few slices of potato onto the buttered crispbread, then top with one or two surströmming fillets, a spoonful of soured cream, and a pinch of finely diced red onion.6
Scatter fresh dill over the top and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side. Eat outside if possible — both for tradition and for the sake of your kitchen.User Reviews
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