Name: Salted Herring and Onion Salad
Ingredients: 2 medium herrings,; 3 big onions,; 4 oz/100 g olives,; 2-3 tablespoons oil,; 2-3 tablespoons vinegar

Why it works: Onion and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,779 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Salted Herring and Onion Salad

Time5–6 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the herring

Split the herrings lengthwise on their belly, remove the roe, and keep them in tepid water for 5–6 hours.
Wash the herrings in cold water, skin them starting from the head to the tail, remove the backbone and all large bones, and cut them into pieces about two fingers thick.

Assemble and serve

Arrange the fish pieces side by side on a long platter so that they resemble the whole fish.
Peel the onions, keep them in cold water, and slice them very thinly.
Arrange the onion slices around the fish and top them with the pitted olives.
Pour the oil and vinegar dressing over the salad.
Serve with potatoes or rye bread.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

170Calories

1 gProtein

14 gFat

10 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
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Olive	1 large (4g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
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.

Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together29,779 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,297 recipes

Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,226 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

Herrings: Provide the main salted fish flesh that forms the body of the salad.
Onions: Add sharp pungency and crisp texture that balances the rich fish.
Olives: Contribute briny, savoury flavour and a firm bite to the salad.
Oil: Adds fat and richness, carrying flavour through the dressing.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and cuts the fishiness of the herring.

The step that matters

Soaking the herrings. Salted herring is very salty, so soaking in tepid water for 5–6 hours draws out excess salt. Too little soaking leaves the fish harsh; too much can leave it bland and soft. Tepid water draws salt out faster than cold water, helping the fish stay firm.