Layered Sprat Salad with Onion, Egg and Cheese

Name: Layered Sprat Salad with Onion, Egg and Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Sprats in oil (about 160 g) 1 tin; Sweet salad onion 1; Eggs 2; "Provençal" mayonnaise 2 tbsp; Parmesan cheese 50 g; Black pepper Spices; White bread toasts, olives, eggs, spinach for serving

I remember that in my childhood a small tin of sprats in oil always sat on the shelf, waiting for a feast. It was an essential, much-wanted ingredient for holiday sandwiches. Back then I never imagined that sprats were perfect for salads, pâtés and appetizers.

We make this homemade appetizer on the same principle as the mimosa salad, with a different set of ingredients. It comes out as a layered salad, which we serve with croutons or pieces of fried white bread rubbed with garlic. It is quite simple and quick to make, but it needs time to chill and soak.

Canned sprats in oil stopped being a scarce item long ago. These are Baltic sprats, smoked and then sealed in tins with oil for sale. Unfortunately, the popularity of this product has led to plenty of fakes: substandard fish, oil of unknown origin, and “liquid” smoke instead of real smoking.

Still, you can always buy a good product from a well-known producer who cares about their reputation. For the layered salad, we mash the sprats with a fork together with the oil, right in the tin. The result doesn't have to be uniform. It's even better if noticeable pieces remain. One tin is enough for two layers of the salad.

Of course, you can't see the sprats without opening the tin. It's more practical to buy a brand you know well. Good sprats are packed tightly and very neatly, belly up. They have a pleasant golden color, no damage, and a rich aroma.

For a salad for four, one tin with 160 g of fish is enough. The salad includes sweet salad onion, eggs and a hard cheese with a pronounced flavor. For the dressing you can use “Provençal” mayonnaise or a mayonnaise-based sauce to your taste. I recommend adding pepper, as it tastes better. After chilling and soaking, the salad becomes soft and juicy. Serve it with croutons or slices of dried bread.

More with fish

Mimosa Salad with Sardines

Cod Liver Salad

Mimosa salad with cheese and canned salmon

Herring Under a Fur Coat Salad

Canned Sardine Fish Soup

Ingredients

4 servings

Sprats in oil (about 160 g) 1 tin
Sweet salad onion 1
Eggs 2
“Provençal” mayonnaise 2 tbsp
Parmesan cheese 50 g
Black pepper Spices
White bread toasts, olives, eggs, spinach for serving

Step-by-step recipe

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The layered sprat salad is made shortly before serving, because it needs to soak up the mayonnaise and chill for 1-2 hours. The only thing to do ahead is to hard-boil the eggs, cool and peel them. If you plan to serve the salad with croutons, prepare them ahead too, but add them to the plate only just before serving. In season, instead of sweet salad onion you can use young regular onion that has just started to form a bulb. It isn't too sharp and is quite juicy.
I suggest making toasts
In the simplest case, you can fry slices of an ordinary loaf, although it is dense and the croutons come out hard. I prefer so-called toast bread, which is sold sliced and packed for the toaster. Toasts from such bread take only 3-4 mins. Heat an ordinary thick-bottomed frying pan. Spear a piece of butter the size of a large cherry on a fork. Grease the bottom of the pan with half the butter and immediately put a slice of bread on it. The butter is absorbed almost at once. Grease the pan again with the rest of the butter and flip the toast. Turn the bread often and fry both sides to a nice golden color, then let it cool.
How to assemble the sprat salad
Take a flat-bottomed plate of a suitable size. It is very convenient to layer the ingredients in a cooking ring. I use a metal ring 10-12 cm in diameter. You can lay washed and dried spinach or lettuce leaves on the bottom of the plate. Set the ring on top of the leaves. Peel the sweet salad onion and chop it finely. If the onion is sharp, you can cover it with cold water for 10-15 mins and then squeeze it out, which makes it much milder. Put the onion in the ring and press it down a little with a spoon. This is the first layer.
Open the tin of sprats and transfer all the contents to a bowl. If the product is good, there will be little oil in the tin, and the fish will be packed tightly, one next to another. Set aside a few fish for serving, one for each prepared slice of bread. Mash the sprats with the oil using a fork, so that the mixture is fairly even with large visible pieces. Spread half of the mashed sprats over the onion and level with a spoon.
The recipe uses two hard-boiled chicken eggs. Keep one egg to decorate the finished dish, and finely chop or grate the other. Spread the grated egg over the sprats and brush with 1 tbsp of “Provençal” mayonnaise. Then add the rest of the sprats and level them.
A hard cheese with a distinct flavor and aroma, finely grated, gives the appetizer a special taste. Parmesan or Grana Padano is ideal. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the salad so that it fully covers the previous layer. Press the salad down lightly and brush with 1 tbsp of mayonnaise. Then put the plate in the refrigerator: the sprat salad should chill and soak for at least 1 hour. Brush the top of the salad with mayonnaise and season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Carefully lift off the cooking ring.
How to serve the sprat salad
Next to the salad on the plate, lay the toasts and top them with the sprats you set aside for serving. Add a few olives and an egg cut into quarters. You can also add herbs and a few lemon slices if you like. Serve the salad as an appetizer. For a large gathering, you can build the salad in a deep dish or use a larger ring.