Danish smørrebrød (open sandwiches)

overhead view of Danish open sandwiches smorrebrod

4.75 from 4 votes

Danish smørrebrød (open sandwiches)

Danish smørrebrød (open sandwiches) come in many forms, but these are three common, and favorite, toppings. They're both delicious and easy.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Appetizer/Starter

Cuisine: Danish

Servings: (assuming 2 slices each)

Calories: 473kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

For the remoulade (can be made ahead, likely won't need all)

¼ cup mayonnaise (¼ cup is 4tbsp)
1 tablespoon cornichons finely chopped (or other pickled cucumber)
1 teaspoon capers roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon mustard Dijon
⅛ teaspoon curry powder

For smorrebrod

6 slices Danish rye bread if available, or closest equivalent (eg pumpernickel)
1 tablespoon butter approx
6 slices roast beef approx, depending on size
6 slices smoked salmon approx, depending on size
1 hard boiled egg or possibly more
1 radish
6 slices cucumber

To garnish (optional)

a few cornichons or pickle slices
pea shoots
a few slices of lemon
fresh dill
radish slices

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To prepare remoulade (can be made ahead)

Mix together all the ingredients for the remoulade (mayonnaise, pickled cucumbers/cornichons, capers, parsley, lemon juice, mustard and curry powder). Spoon a little on top of each slice then top with some slices of cornichon and/or lemon and parsley as you wish.

To make smorrebrod

Lightly butter all of the slices of rye bread.
For roast beef - lay slices of beef in slightly overlapping layers on two of the slices of bread. Drizzle some of the remoulade on top. Garnish with pickle slices/cornichons and some pea shoots.
For smoked salmon/gravlax - layer slices of smoked salmon over two more slices of bread, either slightly overlapping or in small folds. Top with a slice of lemon and a piece of dill as garnish (you can also add some remoulade, if you like).
For egg - slice the hard boiled egg and place a few slices on each of the remaining two slices of bread. Add slices of cucumber and radish around or on top of the egg in a pattern, as works with the egg slices. Garnish with some remoulade and pea shoots or dill.

Video

Notes

Quantities allow for 6 topped slices, and assumes two per person though you can of course have more or less each. Danish rye bread is often in small-ish slices so these are not huge pieces, but remember the bread is relatively dense and filling. With some of the German rye bread available in stores, I would halve the slices as they are pretty big.

Nutritional information is always approximate but here even more so as slices of salmon and beef can vary, and it assume all the remoulade is used which is unlikely to be the case. You may also need extra egg, depending on the size of the bread slices and how thick or thin you slice.

Nutrition