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Forshmak (форшмак, Odesa Herring Spread)
Created by
Salt herring walks into the kitchen sharp as the Black Sea wind, then butter, sour apple, and onion soften it into something pale, creamy, and impossible to leave alone.
Appetizers & Snacks
Ukrainian
Make Ahead
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
25 min
Active Time
10 min cook•1 hr 35 min total
Yield6 to 8 servings
Salt herring is rude before it becomes generous. It hits your tongue first with brine and iron, then the butter rounds the edges, the sour apple cuts through, the onion wakes everything up, and suddenly you have the whole Black Sea port on a slice of brown bread. This is Odesa food: quick-witted, practical, a little theatrical, and much more elegant than it pretends to be.
The one thing that decides the dish is texture. Forshmak should be minced fine enough to spread, but not beaten into baby food. You want tiny flashes of fish, apple, onion, and egg, held together by soft butter, so every bite changes as you chew. Aunt Nadia wrote "rub it until it listens" in one of her letters, which was no measurement at all and somehow perfectly clear once the bowl started looking pale and lively.
Serve it cold, but not fridge-hard. Give it a little time on the table so the butter loosens and the herring begins to smell cleanly of the sea again. Put out rye bread, cucumber, radishes, maybe a jar of something sour from the loud shelf, and watch people pretend they are taking only one more slice.
Forshmak came into Odesa through the city's large Jewish communities, with roots in Ashkenazi chopped herring traditions and a name borrowed from German Vorschmack, meaning a foretaste or appetizer. In the Black Sea port it became its own Ukrainian city dish: salt herring stretched with apple, onion, egg, bread, or butter, depending on the cook and the decade. Soviet canteens made it grey and anonymous, but the Odesa table kept the sharper, brighter version alive.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
salted herring fillets
Quantity
300g
skinless and boneless
milk or cold water (optional)
Quantity
120ml
for soaking very salty herring
eggs
Quantity
2 large
hard-boiled
sour apple
Quantity
1 small
peeled and cored
white onion
Quantity
1/2 small
roughly chopped
unsalted butter
Quantity
80g
very soft
day-old rye or white bread
Quantity
1 thick slice
crust removed
milk
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for soaking the bread
unrefined sunflower oil
Quantity
1 tablespoon
apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
sugar (optional)
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
fresh dill (optional)
Quantity
small handful
finely chopped
rye bread, cucumber, radishes, or pickles
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| salted herring filletsskinless and boneless | 300g |
| milk or cold water (optional)for soaking very salty herring | 120ml |
| eggshard-boiled | 2 large |
| sour applepeeled and cored | 1 small |
| white onionroughly chopped | 1/2 small |
| unsalted buttervery soft | 80g |
| day-old rye or white breadcrust removed | 1 thick slice |
| milkfor soaking the bread | 2 tablespoons |
| unrefined sunflower oil | 1 tablespoon |
| apple cider vinegar or lemon juice | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| sugar (optional) | 1/2 teaspoon |
| black pepper | to taste |
| fresh dill (optional)finely chopped | small handful |
| rye bread, cucumber, radishes, or pickles | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •A sharp chef's knife or mezzaluna
- •A sturdy mixing bowl
- •A food processor, optional
- •A shallow serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Taste the herring
Taste a small piece of herring before you do anything clever. If it is pleasantly salty, leave it alone. If it makes your tongue flinch, soak the fillets in cold milk or water until the salt calms but the fish still tastes of the sea, then pat them dry.
- 2
Boil the eggs
Cook the eggs until the yolks are firm but still golden, then cool them under cold water and peel. If the yolk has gone chalky at the edges, don't panic. Butter forgives this one.
- 3
Soften the bread
Tear the bread into a small bowl and splash over the milk. Let it soften, then squeeze it gently so it is damp, not dripping. The bread is not there to bulk things out like a canteen trick; it catches the herring juices and helps the spread hold together.
- 4
Mince the sharp things
Chop the herring, apple, onion, eggs, and squeezed bread by hand until very fine, or pulse them carefully in a food processor. Stop while you can still see tiny flecks. Forshmak should spread under a knife, but it should still have a little conversation under your teeth.
If using a processor, pulse in short bursts and scrape the bowl often. One long run turns a good Odesa spread into fish paste, and that is not the mood. - 5
Beat it pale
Work the soft butter into the minced mixture with the sunflower oil, vinegar or lemon juice, sugar if using, and black pepper. Stir until the color lightens and the bowl looks creamy but lively, like everything has agreed to sit together without disappearing.
- 6
Chill and serve
Pack the forshmak into a shallow bowl, cover, and chill until it settles. Before serving, let it stand until the butter softens enough for a knife to slide through easily. Taste once more for brightness, add a few drops of vinegar or lemon if it needs lifting, then scatter with dill and bring out the rye bread.
Chef Tips
- •Good salted herring matters more than any fancy garnish. Look for firm fillets in oil or brine, not sweet pickled herring in syrup.
- •Hand-chopping gives the best texture. The processor is allowed, just stop early and let the mixture stay speckled.
- •A sour apple is not decoration here. It cuts the fish and butter, so use something sharp like Granny Smith, Bramley, or any local apple that makes your jaw wake up.
- •Some Odesa cooks add more egg, some add no bread, some use a little cream cheese instead of part of the butter. That's a bit more modern, not a crime. Keep the salt, sourness, and texture in balance and the dish will recognize itself.
- •Forshmak tastes better after resting, but serve it cool rather than ice-cold. Fridge-hard butter hides the flavor.
Advance Preparation
- •Forshmak can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the fridge.
- •Take it out 20 to 30 minutes before serving so the butter loosens and the spread tastes rounder.
- •Boil the eggs a day ahead if you like; the final mixing is quick once everything is cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 110g)
Calories
290 calories
Total Fat
22 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
11 g
Cholesterol
120 mg
Sodium
920 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
12 g
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