Labskaus is a traditional sailors' dish. Usually this means
that surplus or waste fish is used in it. Not so in this
Northern European classic. Salted meat is the main
ingredient. Logical, because that kept very well on the
ships.
‘Lobscouse' was already known in Britain at the
beginning of the 18th century and more specifically in the
area around Liverpool. The Scandinavian countries each
have their own version of it, ranging from a soup to a
stew.
This regional dish from Hamburg in Germany is very
typical because it uses corned beef. This is an American
import product from after the 2nd World War. In the
meantime, it has evolved from an emergency ration dish
to a well-established regional dish, with class!
labskous from Hamburg
ingredients - info
floury potatoes
cooked beetroot
red onions
garlic
corned beef
tomato puree
white balsamic vinegar
sweet and sour gherkins
eggs
sour herrings
butter
chervil
tomatoes
salt, pepper
Preparing the ingredients. Boil the crumbly potatoes until
tender, leave to evaporate and mash with a potato masher.
Chop the beetroots. Do the same with the red onions. Dice a
few sweet and sour gherkins. Dice the corned beef.
The proportions: by weight, calculate 1/3 potatoes, 1/3 corned
beef and 1/3 onions and beetroot together. You can decide on
the quantity of garlic and gherkins and add them later to your
own taste.
Preparation. Sauté the onions with the garlic in a deep pan
with butter. When the onions turn glassy, add the chopped
beetroot and the diced gherkins. Leave to stew for a few
minutes and then let evaporate. Add the mashed potatoes and
mix well. The preparation should have an uniform pink-red
colour.
Season with pepper, salt, a dash of tomato puree from a tube
and white balsamic vinegar.
Garnishment. Cut one large thick sweet-and-sour gherkin per
plate in fan shapes. Remove the skin from a few tomatoes by
immersing them briefly in boiling water. Empty them and cut
the flesh into dice. Wash a handful of lettuce or, as in the
photo, chervil. Cut a few mini beetroots into slices. Prepare
one fried egg per plate. Drain one rolmops per plate.
On the plate. A generous spoonful of labskous topped with a
fried egg. Finish off with a fan of gherkin, beetroot slices,
chervil or lettuce, diced tomatoes and a rolmops.