Smørbrød: Three Open Sandwiches

Name: Smørbrød: Three Open Sandwiches
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Norway / Denmark
Ingredients: 12 slices dense rye bread, thinly sliced; see Dark Nordic Rye Bread; 80 g (5½ tbsp) salted butter, softened; 4 eggs, boiled 9 minutes, see Boiled Eggs, sliced; 250 g (9 oz) cooked peeled shrimp, cold-water shrimp, patted dry; 4 tbsp Mayonnaise, or good store-bought; 1 lemon, in thin wedges; 4 sprigs dill; 4 lettuce leaves, small, butter lettuce; 200 g (7 oz) rare roast beef, thinly sliced; see Roast Beef with Yorkshire Puddings; 4 tbsp remoulade, or 3 tbsp mayonnaise mixed with 1 tbsp chopped pickles, ½ tsp curry powder and 1 tsp mustard; 2 tbsp crispy fried onions; 1 tbsp grated fresh horseradish, or 1 tsp jarred; 8 slices pickled cucumber; 200 g (7 oz) smoked salmon or Gravlax with Mustard-Dill Sauce, thinly sliced; 100 g (½ cup) crème fraîche or sour cream; ½ red onion, very thinly sliced; 1 tbsp capers, rinsed; dill, black pepper and lemon

Nordic open sandwiches on dark rye — shrimp and egg, roast beef, and smoked salmon

Makes: 12 open sandwiches
Hands-on: 40 min
Total: 40 min
Level: Easy

Smørbrød (smørrebrød in Danish) means 'butter and bread': a thin slice of dense rye, buttered generously to the edges, then piled with toppings so carefully arranged that it is eaten with a knife and fork. These are three classics; make a board of all three for a Nordic lunch.

Ingredients

Base

12 slicesdense rye breadthinly sliced; see Dark Nordic Rye Bread
80 gsalted butter (5½ tbsp)softened

Shrimp and egg

4eggsboiled 9 minutes, see Boiled Eggs, sliced
250 gcooked peeled shrimp (9 oz)cold-water shrimp, patted dry
4 tbspMayonnaiseor good store-bought
1lemonin thin wedges
4 sprigsdill
4lettuce leavessmall, butter lettuce

Roast beef with remoulade

200 grare roast beef (7 oz)thinly sliced; see Roast Beef with Yorkshire Puddings
4 tbspremouladeor 3 tbsp mayonnaise mixed with 1 tbsp chopped pickles, ½ tsp curry powder and 1 tsp mustard
2 tbspcrispy fried onions
1 tbspgrated fresh horseradishor 1 tsp jarred
8 slicespickled cucumber

Smoked salmon

200 gsmoked salmon or Gravlax with Mustard-Dill Sauce (7 oz)thinly sliced
100 gcrème fraîche or sour cream (½ cup)
½red onionvery thinly sliced
1 tbspcapersrinsed
dill, black pepper and lemon

Allergens: gluten, milk, egg, crustaceans, fish, mustard, sulphites
Origin: Norway / Denmark
Season: Spring, Summer

Method

Butter each slice of rye right to the edges; the butter seals the bread so it doesn't go soggy. Divide into three groups of 4.
Shrimp and egg: lay a lettuce leaf on each slice, then overlapping slices of egg. Pile the shrimp high, add a spoonful of mayonnaise, a dill sprig and a lemon wedge.
Roast beef: fold the beef loosely onto each slice so it has height. Spoon on remoulade, then scatter with fried onions and horseradish and tuck in pickled cucumber.
Smoked salmon: spread with crème fraîche, drape the salmon in loose folds, and top with red onion, capers, dill and pepper. Add a lemon wedge.
Serve at once, with a knife and fork, on a board or platter. Plan 3 per person for lunch.

Why it works

Dense, sour rye is sturdy enough to carry heavy toppings and its tang balances rich mayonnaise, beef and salmon. Butter spread to the very edges forms a fat barrier that keeps moisture from the toppings out of the bread. Each topping is built with a creamy element, an acid or pickle and something crunchy or fresh, which is what makes smørbrød taste balanced.

Common mistakes

Thin, skimpy butter: it is a structural layer, not decoration.
Making them hours ahead: build within 30 minutes of serving.

Variations

Egg and herring: Top egg slices with pickled herring, red onion and chives (adds fish).
Vegetarian: New potato slices, crème fraîche, chives and crispy onions; or egg, Mayonnaise and cress.

Make ahead and storage

Prepare all toppings up to 1 day ahead; assemble at the last minute.

Notes

Rye bread contains gluten. Remoulade usually contains egg and mustard; fried onions often contain wheat. Cold-smoked salmon and gravlax are not cooked: pregnant or immune-compromised guests should choose the roast beef or a hot-smoked fish instead. Unlike the baked, sauced Croque Madame, these are cold, built on one slice of dense rye and served as lunch or a sharing board.