Labskaus
A North German sailor's dish dating back to at least the 16th century, developed as a way for sailors on long voyages without refrigeration to combine preserved staples — salted beef, pickled beets, and potatoes — into one hearty, storable meal. Its name shares Scandinavian roots with Norwegian lapskaus and Swedish lapskojs, reflecting a dish family spread across the whole North Sea and Baltic maritime culture. A fried egg, rollmops, and gherkins alongside are all traditional, not optional decoration.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Egg, Fish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 400g corned beef, finely diced or minced
- 500g potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 200g cooked beetroot, diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- A little beetroot pickling juice
- 4 eggs
- Rollmops (pickled herring rolls), to serve
- Gherkins, to serve
- Butter
Steps
- Sauté the onion in butter until soft.
- Boil and mash the potatoes.
- Finely chop the corned beef and beetroot, then combine with the mashed potato and sautéed onion, mashing together into a rustic hash colored pink by the beetroot juice.
- Warm through in a pan with a little butter.
- Fry the eggs sunny-side up.
- Plate the mash topped with a fried egg, with rollmops and gherkins alongside.