
In relaxed times, and in difficult times of pandemics, when psychological comfort and traditions (even, omg, post-Soviet heritage) become important, there is familiar food. It brings us back to childhood, to familiar tastes and memories. That’s how, maybe awkwardly, you still dearly love these strange, complex dishes — like herring under a fur coat. Through the eyes of a nutritionist:
- Root vegetables are healthy, wonderful food. But let’s not drain the micronutrients into the water — let’s “seal” them inside. All root vegetables can simply be washed, left unpeeled, and roasted. As you prefer: I roast them in a baking dish covered with foil. The metal and the dome it forms hold heat for a long time; you can leave the vegetables at 200°C for 90 minutes and then, with the oven turned off, keep them inside for another 3 hours to “finish.” Yes, yes, yes — potatoes, beets, and carrots — ALL should be used roasted in this salad.
- Herring and mackerel are excellent fish, often still wild. Want something more refined? Use lightly salted or smoked salmon or keta.
- A vegan option (suggested in the comments): quickly sauté chopped champignons or nori strips — soft texture and sea flavor, voilà.
- Mayonnaise or aioli for dressing can be made at home — it’s SIMPLE. Maybe not on the first try, depending on your cooking skills. If you buy mayo — please, don’t choose one with refined oils. That’s basically a subscription to chronic inflammatory conditions.
- I kept the classic layers, from bottom to top: a layer of salted fish, onion (regular or green), potatoes, carrots, hard-boiled eggs, beets, and mayonnaise.
- From myself, I added in the middle, between the potatoes and carrots, a layer of mashed avocado :) This makes the dish more balanced, cross-textured, and also requires less mayo.
- 3 fish, filleted: 2 salted wild mackerels (regular, not spiced) + 1 large herring
- 3 potatoes (good roasting variety, e.g., pink skin)
- 3 medium carrots
- 2–3 very large beets
- 5–6 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 large bunch green onions (or 1 sweet white onion)
- 2 Hass avocados (optional, to layer between potato and carrot)
- salt, freshly ground pepper
- Vegan swap: briefly sauté finely chopped button mushrooms and add strips of nori for a subtle “sea” note
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard (bold flavor)
- 1/3 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ~200 ml oil (e.g., ~100 ml olive oil + ~100 ml neutral oil like grapeseed)
Wash root vegetables thoroughly (peeling optional). Wrap tightly in foil with no gaps and roast 90 min at 180–200°C; light browning is a flavor bonus. After switching off the oven, you can leave them inside 2–3 hours to finish gently. About an hour into roasting, hard-boil the eggs (10 min after boiling), then chill under cold running water. Debone the fish and dice finely. Mince the onion. Cool the roasted veg until warm: grate potatoes and carrots (or finely dice), grate beets generously; chop or grate the eggs.
Mayo: using a bowl and whisk or a blender on the lowest speed, beat the egg for 30–50 s. Add vinegar/lemon and beat another 20–30 s; add mustard, salt, and pepper with brief mixing pauses. Start drizzling in the oil: first drops, then a thin stream, until thick and glossy (about 7 min total). If it doesn’t set, 1/3 tsp psyllium husk powder can rescue the texture. Store up to 1 week refrigerated in a sealed container.
Assembly in a straight-sided dish (classic bottom-to-top order): fish - finely chopped onion (optionally pepper with freshly ground pepper) - potato (add a layer of mashed avocado here if using, it helps bind and reduces the amount of mayo) - carrot - eggs - a generous beet layer - mayo. Cover and chill at least 2 hours to set the layers.

- 3 fish, filleted: 2 salted wild mackerels (regular, not spiced) + 1 large herring
- 3 potatoes (good roasting variety, e.g., pink skin)
- 3 medium carrots
- 2–3 very large beets
- 5–6 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 large bunch green onions (or 1 sweet white onion)
- 2 Hass avocados (optional, to layer between potato and carrot)
- salt, freshly ground pepper
- Vegan swap: briefly sauté finely chopped button mushrooms and add strips of nori for a subtle “sea” note
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard (bold flavor)
- 1/3 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ~200 ml oil (e.g., ~100 ml olive oil + ~100 ml neutral oil like grapeseed)
Wash root vegetables thoroughly (peeling optional). Wrap tightly in foil with no gaps and roast 90 min at 180–200°C; light browning is a flavor bonus. After switching off the oven, you can leave them inside 2–3 hours to finish gently. About an hour into roasting, hard-boil the eggs (10 min after boiling), then chill under cold running water. Debone the fish and dice finely. Mince the onion. Cool the roasted veg until warm: grate potatoes and carrots (or finely dice), grate beets generously; chop or grate the eggs.
Mayo: using a bowl and whisk or a blender on the lowest speed, beat the egg for 30–50 s. Add vinegar/lemon and beat another 20–30 s; add mustard, salt, and pepper with brief mixing pauses. Start drizzling in the oil: first drops, then a thin stream, until thick and glossy (about 7 min total). If it doesn’t set, 1/3 tsp psyllium husk powder can rescue the texture. Store up to 1 week refrigerated in a sealed container.
Assembly in a straight-sided dish (classic bottom-to-top order): fish - finely chopped onion (optionally pepper with freshly ground pepper) - potato (add a layer of mashed avocado here if using, it helps bind and reduces the amount of mayo) - carrot - eggs - a generous beet layer - mayo. Cover and chill at least 2 hours to set the layers.
