Sienisalaatti, Finnish Creamy Mushroom Salad
Sienisalaatti sits on the Finnish Christmas table beside the beetroot salad, a cool bowl of mushrooms bound in something creamy and just barely sweet. Traditionally it is built on salt-cured or pickled forest mushrooms folded into sour cream, with a spoon of sugar to round it off. This version keeps the shape of the dish while dropping the salt and dairy: fresh creminis are blanched and pressed so they stay firm, the cream is a mix of plant yogurt and blended oats, and a single date does the rounding a spoon of sugar once did. Lemon-soaked onion brings the sharpness, and a little allspice gives it that unmistakable northern-forest warmth. Make it a day ahead; it only improves.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/2 whole Red onions, very finely diced
- 1/2 cup Plain plant yogurt
- 2 tbsp Oat cream
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 whole Medjool dates, minced to a paste
- 1/4 tsp Allspice, ground
- 3 tbsp Dill, chopped
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Blanch the sliced mushrooms in simmering water for 2 minutes, then drain well and press out the liquid in a clean towel. The classic salad uses salt-preserved wild mushrooms; a quick blanch of fresh creminis tames their rawness and firms them so they hold up in the dressing without weeping water into it later.
- Soak the finely diced red onion in the lemon juice for 10 minutes. The acid softens the onion's harsh bite and turns it pink, and it does the job the salt in the original recipe used to do, seasoning by sharpness instead.
- Whisk the yogurt, oat cream, date paste, and ground allspice together. Fold in the pressed mushrooms and the onion with all its lemon. The dressing is meant to be barely sweet and warmly spiced: the single blended date replaces the pinch of sugar Finnish cooks add, and allspice is the note that makes this taste of the northern woods rather than a deli.
- Fold in the chopped dill and black pepper, then chill at least an hour. Sienisalaatti is a make-ahead salad by nature, and the rest lets the mushrooms drink up the dressing and the flavors settle. Stir again and taste for lemon before serving.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 90 calories, 5 g protein, 3 g fiber, 35 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
