It’s been quite some time since I have done a Name Plates post where I look into the names behind famous foods. Schnitzel a la Holstein is named after the German diplomat, Friedrich August Karl, Ferdinand Julius von Holstein who helped to shape German foreign policy in the time directly after Bismarck. Hello? Is there anyone still there? Please do not be perturbed, we are not going to spend any more time on the Baron because this is a food blog, not a German foreign policy of the 1890’s blog!
What is Schnitzel a la Holstein?
I feel that Schnitzel a la Holstein has fallen somewhat out of favour over the years. A pub staple in Melbourne is a chicken or veal parmigiana which is the Schnitzel a la Holstein’s Italian cousin. I have eaten cotoletta, a more refined Italian relative in restaurants and, at home, my mother would often make Weiner Schnitzel. But never a la Holstein.
So what turns a regular schnitty into a version a la Holstein? First you need to add a fried egg then add some anchovies on top of that. Then, drizzle a litle caper, lemon and parsley sauce over the top of it all!
That is at least in the modern version of the dish. The Baron’s OG version came surrounded by small piles of caviar, crawfish tails, smoked salmon, mushrooms, and truffles!!!! I’m surprised the whole thing didn’t come wrapped in gold a la Salt Bae. I mean there’s a lot…and then there’s too much! It made me wonder if Baron was also the inspo for this Monty Python character.
I really enjoyed this dish! The sharpess of the lemon and caper sauce offset some of the richness of the schnitzel, the egg added some rich creaminess and the anchovies some delightful saltiness.
I served my schnitzel with a very simple salad of watercress leaves, red shallots and shaved parmesan.
The Recipe and My Variations
The recipe I used to cook my Schnitzel a la Holstein was from Saveur which I modied as follows
- I added 2 tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese into the bread crumb mixture for some additional flavour.
- I poached my egg using one of those old fashioned egg rings instead of frying it as I do not like the texture of the white of a fried egg. The softness of the poached egg also provided a great contrast to the crunchy crumb crust.
Here’s the Baron:
Have a great week!
