Name: Sild Meth Surum Rjoma Og Graslauk
Ingredients: 4 Fillets of salted or spiced herring (saltsild or kryddsild); 2 dl Sour cream or skyr; 1 tb Vinegar; 1 tb Sugar; 2 tb Chopped chives

Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓

Sild Meth Surum Rjoma Og Graslauk

Time3–4 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the herring

Desalt or drain the herring fillets, depending on which kind you are using.
Cut the fillets across into fairly thin slices.

Make the sauce

Beat the sour cream or skyr and season it with the vinegar and sugar.
Add the chopped chives.

Assemble and rest

Arrange the herring slices in a dish so they are not touching each other.
Pour the sour cream mixture over the herring slices.
Wait for 3–4 hours before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

153Calories

17 gProtein

1 gFat

19 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Herring	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,806 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Vinegar + chivetop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,065 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Cream + chivetop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together700 recipes

Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
Cream + vinegartop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,064 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Herring fillets: Provide the salty, savoury fish base that the cream sauce balances.
Sour cream or skyr: Supplies creamy moisture and tang that coats the herring slices.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and cuts the richness of the cream.
Sugar: Adds a little sweetness to balance the acidity and saltiness.

The step that matters

Wait for 3–4 hours before serving. Resting lets the sour cream mixture and acid soak into the herring, so the flavours blend and soften the fish. Serving too early leaves the flavours sharp and separate.

Swap the chive

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, vinegar, sugar):

Mustardfits better
Horseradishfits better
Capsicumfits better
Chivethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cream, vinegar, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Tomato Soup526 recipes

Brown Bread461 recipes

Mutton Broth292 recipes

Yorkshire Pudding264 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Sild Meth Surum Rjoma Og Graslauk