German · Authentic-ish German
Heringssalat
286 kcal a serving, against 475 for the traditional version. That is 189 kcal off, or 40%, with 22.3g of protein. Serves 6. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
The classic Christmas or New Year's Eve Heringssalat is a rich, tart salad of pickled herring, beetroot, apple, boiled potato and soured cream, sometimes with a hard-boiled egg chucked in for good measure. The dressing is thick, sharp and creamy, coating everything in a pink shroud. Usually served with rye bread and a tall glass of schnapps.
What changed, and what each change costs
Soured cream out for fat-free Greek yoghurt, dropping from 300g soured cream to 220g yoghurt-greek-0
The soured cream is the other-worst offender here. Swapping it for fat-free Greek yoghurt brings the sharpness and a creamy texture but with less fat, more tang and more protein. It doesn't taste as lush, but it holds up surprisingly well once the fish, apples and beetroot get involved.
What it costs you. It isn't as silkily rich. You lose that clinging, indulgent texture. What you get is a dressing that's still creamy enough, just a little more pointed and thinner. If your grandma is at the table, turn the bowl away from her.
Boiled potatoes out, extra beetroot and apple in, from 350g potato to 100g extra beetroot and 70g extra apple
Potatoes are there for bulk and blandness. They're fine, but they bring calories and almost no protein. Doubling down on beetroot and apple means more colour, tang, fibre and sweetness for less energy.
What it costs you. You lose the gentle, filling heft of potato. The salad feels lighter and sharper, which, if I'm honest, is not an obvious improvement, but at least it isn't gluey or stodgy.
Eggs out entirely
Egg is here for richness and tradition. Without it you lose some protein, so I've upped the fish.
What it costs you. You do miss the velvety egg yolk against the beetroot. But nobody ever called this a celebration of subtlety.
400g herring up to 500g, to cover lost egg protein
Taking the eggs out would have sunk the protein. So I add more fish instead. It's not subtle, but it works.
What it costs you. It's a very fish-forward salad. You'll notice.
300g rye bread down to 120g, for serving
A typical German starter comes with a thick wedge of bread, but a slice each will do. Rye bread is fine, but it's just a vehicle for salad, and you can't win the numbers game with lots of it.
What it costs you. People might wish for more bread, but you'll be too busy eating pickled fish to care.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 475 | 286 |
| Protein | 22.8g | 22.3g |
| Fat | 19.6g | 8.6g |
| Saturated fat | 7.4g | 1.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 53.1g | 30.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.8g | 7.8g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish German prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. fish, gluten, milk.
The method is in the book
Heringssalat will never make it onto Tinder, but it's got personality. Losing all that soured cream means you have a sharper, lighter salad with more tang and, by adding more fish, you even get a proper hit of protein. Rye bread is demoted to sidekick, which is only going to upset someone who came just for the carbs. It isn't better than the original, but for something that looks like a lipstick crime scene, this is actually a fun, gutsy way to get some fish down you without feeling like you're on a punishment diet.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish German, along with 54 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.