Scandinavian · Main · Easy
Smorrebrod
Denmark's open-faced sandwiches: dense rye bread layered high with herring, roast beef, shrimp, or liver pate, always beautiful.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Smorrebrod, in 5 ideas
- Butter edge to edge; it is both flavor and waterproofing
- Dense rye is structural; soft bread collapses under the toppings
- Eat with a knife and fork, never pick them up
- Build them just before serving so nothing wilts
- One of each topping per person makes a perfect lunch spread
What you need
Ingredients
- 8 slices dense Danish rye bread
- Butter, softened
- For topping 1: pickled herring, red onion rings, capers, dill
- For topping 2: rare roast beef slices, remoulade, crispy fried onions, cornichons
- For topping 3: bay shrimp, mayonnaise, lemon, fresh dill
- For topping 4: liver pate, pickled beets, crispy bacon
- Fresh herbs and lemon wedges for garnish
How to make it
Directions
- Butter each slice of rye generously, edge to edge. The butter seals the bread so toppings do not make it soggy.
- Arrange the herring on two slices with red onion, capers, and dill.
- Layer the roast beef on two more with a swoosh of remoulade, crispy onions, and cornichons.
- Pile the shrimp high on two slices with lemon mayo and dill.
- Spread the liver pate on the last two and top with pickled beets and crumbled bacon.
- Garnish everything with herbs and serve immediately, eaten with a knife and fork.
Money saver. Dense rye bread freezes well; buy a loaf, slice it, and freeze in portions for instant smorrebrod.