Smoked Salmon Smørrebrød (Scandinavian open sandwich)
This easy but delicious open sandwich has a perfect combination of flavours and textures: wholesome rye bread, cream cheese with lemon, chives and/or dill, topped with crunchy fresh cucumber and rich smoked salmon, garnished with tangy quick-pickled onion, piquant capers, plus more herbs and lemon.
If eating as a standalone meal rather than as one of a range of open sandwiches, serve 2 per person.
It's recommended that you read the accompanying blog post before starting the recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 thin slices dark rye bread see Recipe Notes
- soft butter (for spreading on the bread)
- 24 - 32 slices cucumber
- 100 g sliced smoked salmon
- 1 - 2 tbsp capers (drained)
For the quick pickled red onion
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 large pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 3 tbsp hot water (from a kettle)
- 3 - 4 tbsp mild vinegar (e.g. rice, white wine, or cider vinegar)
- 1 small red onion (skinned)
For the cream cheese
- 4 rounded dsp cream cheese
- 1 rounded tbsp chives and/or dill (chop the chives/tear the dill away from any tough stalks)
- 1 lemon (zest finely grated then chopped)
- black pepper
- salt (optional)
Garnishes to serve (choose any or all)
- chopped chives
- dill with any tough stems removed
- lemon zest
- black pepper
- lemon wedges
- rocket leaves, sliced radish
Instructions
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Make the quick pickled red onion
Put the sugar, salt and pepper into a heatproof bowl and pour over the hot water. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt then stir in the vinegar. Taste and add a little more sugar or vinegar to get the level of sweet/tartness you like.
Finely chop the red onion (or slice thinly into rings if preferred) and stir into the pickling liquor. Set aside in the fridge to cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
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Flavour the cream cheese
Put the cream cheese in a small bowl and add the herbs.
Add ⅔ of the lemon zest, squeeze in the juice of ½ the lemon and add a large pinch of pepper.
Stir together then taste: add more lemon zest, juice or pepper plus a small pinch of salt if you think it needs it.
Set aside the rest of the lemon zest and juice for the garnish.
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Make the open sandwiches
Spread the slices of bread generously with butter.
Divide the flavoured cream cheese between the slices, spreading it over the butter.
Place 6 - 8 slices of cucumber on each piece of bread, on top of the cream cheese.
Divide the salmon between the slices of bread and drape it over the cucumber.
Drain the red onion from its pickling liquor and sprinkle some of the onion over each sandwich along with the capers.
Top with any or all the garnishes (herbs, zest, black pepper) and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over plus the rocket and sliced radishes on the side.
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Best eaten straight away, although sandwiches should be fine in the fridge for roughly 2 hours.
Recipe Notes
Which bread to use for smorrebrod?
The traditional bread to use for Scandinavian style open sandwiches is thinly cut dark rye bread. A firm rather than soft bread is needed so it can stand the weight of the toppings. If you want to make your own Dark Rye Bread, you'll find my easy no-knead overnight recipe here.
If you don’t have firm dark rye bread you could try pumpernickel, buy or make sourdough or try my Light Rye Bread recipe. However, being less firm, you might want to lightly toast those first. Be sure to cool before buttering.