Forshmak — is a traditional Jewish appetizer, the base of which consists of minced or ground herring. It is mixed with onions, eggs, green apples, and white bread soaked in milk or water. This mixture often includes vinegar or lemon juice for acidity, as well as various spices for flavor. The ready appetizer is served with crispy rye bread or crackers. The very word "forshmak" comes from the German "vorschmack" or "vorspeise", which translates to "appetizer." It can have various variations, depending on regional traditions and personal preferences of the cook. We prepared two of its variants: one is as close to the classic as possible, and the other is simplified. We will focus on the first variant, showing the step-by-step process of its preparation.
Time required: up to 30 minutes
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Cost: average
We will need:
100 g of lightly salted herring fillet
1 small white onion
1 boiled chicken egg
the yolk of one egg
one quarter of an apple (it is best to choose a green variety, such as Mutsu, Granny Smith, Simirenko, etc.)
50 g of white bread pulp (a baguette or loaf will also work)
50 ml of milk
1 tbsp of cold-pressed olive oil (or the same amount of melted butter)
juice of ¼ lemon
black pepper to taste.
Продуктовий набір
Preparation
First, we boil the egg that we need to hard boil. Typically, it is sufficient to boil it for 10-12 minutes (depending on the size).
Next, we cut the bread into small pieces and soak it in milk.
Вимочуємо хліб
Now we move on to chopping. Finely chop the onion, herring, and apple. Transfer them to a bowl where we will mix all the ingredients. Peel the egg, chop it finely, and add it to the bowl. Squeeze the softened bread to remove excess milk, chop it if necessary, and also add it to the bowl.
...і яйце
Add the egg yolk and olive oil, and squeeze in the lemon juice.
додали жовток
...і оливкову олію
...і вичавлюємо з лимона сік
If necessary or desired, add pepper and mix thoroughly. Place in the refrigerator to cool and allow the flavors to meld. Remove at least half an hour later, spread on toasted crispy black bread, and enjoy the harmony of flavors.
готовий форшмак
As we mentioned at the beginning, you can prepare a more simplified version of forshmak. It is also in the photo. In it, we used a “more modest” set of ingredients:
100 g of herring fillet
3 boiled chicken eggs
1 teaspoon of French mustard (seeds)
50 g of mayonnaise and black pepper.
The technological processes are similar to the first variant: all ingredients need to be chopped and allowed to infuse in the refrigerator.
ось і обидва варіанта форшмака
We did not add salt to the forshmak because the herring contains enough salt. You can also blend the forshmak with a blender to achieve a paste-like consistency. In all cases, you will end up with a quite tasty dish. Don't be afraid to experiment, as the kitchen is a creative laboratory.
Смачного! ;)
