This is a smoked mackerel and new potato salad dressed with sour cream, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and plenty of fresh dill. It takes about 50 minutes start to finish and comes together in one bowl. If you want something filling that isnโt a sandwich or a grain bowl, this is a genuinely useful recipe to have.
The short version of why this works
Two things make this salad succeed. First, the potatoes go into the dressing while theyโre still slightly warm. Warm potatoes absorb liquid instead of repelling it, so every piece ends up coated rather than sitting in a puddle of dressing at the bottom of the bowl. Second, the dressing itself is built for cling โ full-fat sour cream is thick enough to coat rather than run, and the Dijon acts as an emulsifier that keeps the vinegar from separating out. Get those two things right and the rest is just assembly.
Ingredient notes
- Smoked mackerel: Sold vacuum-packed in most supermarkets, usually near the smoked salmon. Check that itโs fully smoked, not just smoke-flavored. The skin peels off easily with your fingers once the fillet is at room temperature.
- Capers: These are the brined flower buds in a small jar, typically in the condiment aisle near olives. Rinse them well โ straight from the jar they can be aggressively salty. If you canโt find them, finely chopped cornichons give a similar sharp, briny note.
- Spring onions: Also labeled scallions. Use both the white and green parts; the green tops add color and a milder bite than the white ends.
- Full-fat sour cream: Donโt substitute low-fat here โ itโs too thin and will make the dressing watery. Greek yogurt works if you need a lighter version, but go full-fat Greek yogurt for the same reason.
What can go wrong
- Potatoes fall apart when you cut them: They were overcooked. Start checking at 15 minutes by piercing one with a fork โ it should slide in with a little resistance, not collapse. Pull them off the heat the moment theyโre just tender.
- The dressing tastes flat: Sour cream needs more seasoning than youโd expect. Taste the dressing before it goes on the salad and add salt and vinegar in small increments until it has a noticeable tang.
- The mackerel turns to mush: Flake it with your hands or a fork into large chunks, then fold it in gently at the end. Stirring it in aggressively breaks it down into a paste.
- Everything tastes one-dimensional: The capers and spring onions are doing the textural and flavor contrast work here. Donโt skip or under-measure them โ theyโre not garnish, theyโre structural.
- The salad looks grey and unappetizing: This usually means the dill was added too early and bruised, or the potatoes were still hot when everything was mixed. Let the potatoes cool to just warm, not steaming, before combining.
Keeping it fresh
Dress it at the table โ a pre-dressed salad goes limp fast. If youโre making this ahead, store the dressed salad and the extra dill garnish separately in the fridge and combine just before serving. Fully assembled and dressed, it keeps in an airtight container for up to 24 hours; after that the potatoes start to break down and the dressing thins out. The individual components โ cooked potatoes, flaked mackerel, and mixed dressing โ can each be prepped up to a day in advance and held separately in the fridge, which makes this easy to pull together quickly at mealtime.
Latvian Smoked Fish and Potato Salad
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 lb new potatoes Scrubbed and unpeeled, ideally organic
- 7 oz smoked mackerel Flaked, skin removed
- 1 cup sour cream Full fat for richness
- 2 tbsp fresh dill Chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp capers Rinsed
- 3 stalks spring onions Sliced thinly
- 1 pinch salt To taste
- 1 pinch black pepper Freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
- Boil the new potatoes in a large pot with salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- While the potatoes cool, prepare the dressing. In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, chopped dill, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a large bowl with the flaked smoked mackerel, capers, and sliced spring onions.
- Pour the dressing over the potato and fish mixture. Gently toss everything together until evenly coated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Transfer the salad to a serving platter. Garnish with additional dill for an aromatic finish.
Notes
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I use a different smoked fish instead of mackerel?
Yes โ smoked trout is the closest substitute and works almost identically. Smoked herring or hot-smoked salmon also work, though salmon is milder and herring is stronger, so adjust the amount to taste.
Do I need to peel the potatoes?
No, and the recipe specifically calls for leaving the skins on. New potato skins are thin and tender, and they help the pieces hold their shape when you cut and toss them.
How do I know if my dressing is thick enough to coat the salad?
Lift a spoonful and let it fall back into the bowl โ it should drop in a slow, thick ribbon, not run off like water. If itโs too thin, whisk in a small extra spoonful of sour cream.