Probably one of the oldest holidays in existence, Sham El Neseem goes all the way back 4,000 years when Pharaohs roamed Egypt. It was believed to be the day of creation, and over the years, it remained a beloved holiday in Egypt.
Along with coloring easter eggs, on this day, there have to be plates and plates of ringa (herring) and feseekh (fermented fish); otherwise, it would not be Sham El Neseem. To make the most of the holiday, we found some out-of-the-box ringa recipes for you to try this holiday:
Zesty Salad Dip
People usually enjoy whole pieces of ringa or chunks, but there is a way to elevate the fermented fish. You can turn it into a zesty salad dip drizzled with a hefty dose of lemon and enjoy it with fresh baladi bread.
To make this special version of ringa, you’ll need to blend pieces of ringa with green onion, dill, and chili pepper.
Once they’ve turned into a smooth paste, mix in a blended mixture of Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and eggplant. Spritz in some lemon and olive oil, and there you have it—the ultimate zesty salad dip. You can check out Kitchen Keys’ video for the full recipe.
Herring Spread
If you love biting into a slice of toast in the morning, you’ll like this ringa recipe. Unconventional in every sense of the word, meet the delicious herring spread. It is super easy to make, and it all starts with toasting coriander seeds, cumin, and black pepper, and then grinding them up.
In a blender, add that spice mix to coriander, red and green onion, olive oil, vinegar, and pieces of ringa, then blend until they turn into a smooth spread. The last step is adding and mixing in a dollop of tahini and then just spreading the mixture onto toast. For the full recipe, check out chef Sherif Afifi’s video.
Purple Festive Salad
There are a lot of reasons to love beet, whether it’s that pop of purple color it gives to any dish or its sweet flavor. Knowing all this, we think it would make a great duo with ringa.
We’d like to introduce to you the two-layer purple festive salad. To make the first layer, you’ll first need to shred some beets and then mix them with labnah.
For the second layer, you’ll need to make a mixture of ringa pieces, mustard, mayonnaise, dill, vinegar, and lemon juice. To assemble it, get a mini round pan, ladle in the second layer, and then add in the first layer.
It takes literally five minutes to make and can be a great side addition to any seafood fest. To make the recipe, watch Dina Elkafrawy‘s full video.
Ringa Shawerma
Shawarma is such a beloved meal across the Arab world to the point that each country has created its own version of it. The thing is, no one probably made up a more creative take on the shawarma than Egyptian chef Sherif Afifi, who decided to create a Renga shawarma.
This special recipe calls for a unique take on a typical tahini as it includes coriander, olive oil, vinegar, and cumin.
Cook up the ringa in a pan with red onions, green onions, vinegar, dill, chili pepper, and tomatoes. Then, spread the tahini mix on kaiser bread followed by the ringa. Biting into it, it will definitely feel like you are eating a ringa shawarma. You can make a delicious sandwich by following chef Sherif Afifi‘s video.
Smoked Herring With Roasted Tomatoes
Ringa is a super versatile ingredient whose flavor profile can be amplified by mixing it with a set of ingredients. One way to up the flavor of any ringa is by making it smoky with roasted tomatoes. For a completely different approach to cooking ringa, for this recipe, you’ll need to wash, boil, and shred your ringa.
As you sauté some onions with chili pepper, add the shredded ringa, then a dollop of fire-roasted red peppers and roasted tomatoes. Cover it and cook it till the liquid dries out. You can enjoy the smoky herring atop white rice. For the full recipe, check out Natasha‘s video.
This Sham El Neseem, you’ve got plenty of recipes to try out to indulge in your love of renga. Each of these recipes showcases the potential of renga as the ultimate Easter food. Let us know if you have your very own renga recipes you’d like to share.