Smørrebrød is the word for the Danish open-faced sandwiches on buttered rye bread, perfect for lunch time.
There is no need to book a flight to Copenhagen. You can create your own smørrebrød at home, using these 3 recipes which you will find below.
This traditional Danish dish, smørrebrød began in the 19th-century as workingman’s lunch and now it evolved into high art. In the bakery windows from Copenhagen, you will find smørrebrød topped with meat, fish, and cheese every ingredient being carefully placed into a beautiful construction.
There are also some rules of eating smørrebrod. First, these are sandwiches that you eat with a knife and fork. The second rule is if you are sampling multiple smørrebrod, begin with fish, move on to meat and end with cheese. Making a smørrebrod buffet is an easy and fun way to entertain your friends at home, gathering them around the table, laying out a selection of toppings and garnishes, then just pass the bread.
To build a traditional smørrebrod there are 3 steps you should follow:
- Find the perfect bread – the dark, seedy sourdough rye is the most authentic choice
- Spread a generous amount of butter on the bread. This step is not optional, the butter serves as a foundation for the toppings to stick to and prevents the bread from being soggy.
- Assemble the smørrebrod matching the garnish with the protein and add some crunch like radish.
There are many options and possibilities for a smørrebrod and these 3 ideas are good to start with.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf dark, seedy rye bread
- 225g oz butter, softened
- 250g roast beef
- 200g smoked salmon
- 100g bleu cheese
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 jar cornichons, sliced
- 1 lemon
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 pear, sliced lengthwise
- chopped walnuts
- horseradish
- mustard
Preparations
Spread butter on rye bread.
For a roast beef smørrebrød: Top bread with two slices of roast beef. Add cornichons and slices of red onion. Top with horseradish.
For a smoked salmon smorrebrød: Top bread with two slices smoked salmon. Add two to three slices of radish and several sprigs of fresh dill. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice and mustard.
For a blue cheese and pear smørrebrød: Spread bleu cheese on top of the butter. Add a slice of pear. Garnish with chopped walnuts.