Danish Open-Faced Dilled Shrimp Sandwich
The all-time Scandinavian traditional and timeless dish is smørrebrøt – an open-faced sandwich on a thin tasty slice of rye bread. Smørrebrøt has been described to be so Danish that “it hurts” and is so versatile in its toppings: from marinated herrings, the Nordic shrimp to roast beef and pâtés. Traditionally these sandwiches are eaten with a fork and knife. Serve it as hors d’oeuvre in a casual way; we ate them with our hands (the Swedes would be up in arms!) Smørrebrøt makes a great lunch, brunch, snack or a light supper if served alone or with a salad. The bread is buttered and topped with the crispy romaine lettuce and juicy shrimp salad. Garnish it with an eye catching cherry tomato, a slice of lemon and a delicate dill spring, in addition to enhancing the flavor it will produce a striking visual impact.
Ingredients: rock shrimp, salted butter, Danish thin-cut rye or multigrain bread, butter lettuce, gherkins, shallot, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, dill, salt, freshly ground black, lemon, cherry tomatoes.
Steam the shrimp in a well salted water with a bay leave for one-two minutes. Drain and cool the shrimp. Cut into small bite size pieces.
Finely chop the gherkins, set aside.
Finely mince the shallot, set aside.
In a bowl, combine the shrimp, gherkins, shallots and chopped dill.
Add the mayonnaise and crème fraîche and toss to combine.
Cut four square slices of Danish thin-cut rye bread into eight triangles. Smear a thin layer of European style butter on each. The butter and the lettuce prevent the bread from getting soggy from the salad.
Top each slice with a lettuce leaf.
Mound about one tablespoon of shrimp on each sandwich; add a slice of lemon, a split tomato and tiny sprig of dill to each and serve.
Bon Appétit!
Svitlana
Danish open-faced dilled shrimp sandwich
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 12 oz. rock shrimp, bay shrimp or small salad shrimp, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon lightly salted butter, softened (European style)
- 4 slices Danish thin-cut rye or multigrain bread, cut into 8 triangles
- 8 small leaves butter lettuce or romaine lettuce
- 2 small gherkins, finely chopped
- ½ medium sized shallot, finely minced
For the dressing
- 2 ½ ounces mayonnaise
- 1 ½ ounces crème fraîche or sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus 8 tiny sprigs for garnish
- Sea salt and freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
- 8 very thin slices lemon, halved and then quartered
- 4 grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- Fresh dill, for garnish
Instructions
- Steam the shrimp in a well salted water with a bay leave for 1-2 minutes. Drain and cool the shrimp. Cut into small bite size pieces.
- Meanwhile, spread a thin layer of butter on the bread. Add a lettuce leaf to each.
- In a bowl, combine the shrimp, gherkins and shallots. Add the mayonnaise and crème fraîche and toss to combine. Stir in dill, salt and pepper. Mound about 1 tablespoon of shrimp on each sandwich; add a slice of lemon, a split tomato and tiny sprig of dill to each and serve.
