Smørrebrød
Denmark's famous open-faced sandwich — dark rye bread piled high with toppings.
Family Friendly
Quick & Easy
Ingredients
- 4 slices dark Danish rye bread (rugbrød)
- Butter for spreading
- Variety 1 — Egg & Shrimp:
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 100g small cooked prawns
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- Fresh dill, lemon slice
- Variety 2 — Roast Beef:
- 4 slices cold roast beef
- Remoulade sauce (or tartar sauce)
- Fried onion crisps
- Pickled cucumber slices
- Variety 3 — Herring:
- 4 pickled herring fillets
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Capers
- Fresh dill
Instructions
- 1 Spread each slice of rye bread generously with butter — right to the edges.
- 2 Egg & Shrimp: lay egg slices across the bread, pile prawns on top, add a dollop of mayo, garnish with dill and a lemon slice.
- 3 Roast Beef: fold roast beef slices onto the bread so they look generous and wavy. Add a line of remoulade, scatter fried onions and pickled cucumber slices on top.
- 4 Herring: lay herring fillets on the bread, top with red onion rings, capers, and dill sprigs.
- 5 Arrange on a board or plate. Serve with a cold beer or aquavit.
- 6 Eat with knife and fork — never with your hands.
About This Recipe
Smørrebrød is Denmark's national lunch. These open-faced sandwiches on dark rugbrød (rye bread) are piled with carefully arranged toppings — from pickled herring to roast beef to egg and shrimp. Every smørrebrød is a small work of art.
This recipe covers three classic varieties that every Dane grows up eating. The key rules: generous butter on the bread, toppings should overhang the edges, and you always eat them with a knife and fork — never pick them up.
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