Danish Smørrebrød

Basically this means bread with butter, "smør" meaning "butter" and "brød" meaning "bread" in Danish. So, the smørrebrød is a piece of thin and dark rye bread, buttered and garnished with an array of ingredients such as salami, herring, cheese, pickles, thin slices of cucumber and onions. The result is a collection of delicious open sandwiches that should be eaten with a knife and fork and in a particular order - the seafood ones coming before all the others, and the cheese ones coming last.



INGREDIENTS
Pickled herring smørrebrød:
  • 1 slice rye bread or pumpernickel
  • 2 teaspoons Danish remoulade or butter
  • 2-3 pickled herrings depending on size
  • a few red onion rings
  • 1-2 small gherkins
  • fresh dill or thyme
  • a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or paprika optional
Smoked salmon and cucumber smørrebrød:
  • 1 slice rye bread or pumpernickel
  • 1-2 teaspoons mayonnaise
  • 2 slices smoked salmon
  • 8 thin slices of cucumber
  • 1 slice lemon
  • some spring onion rings
  • a sprinkle of cayenne pepper optional


 Salami smørrebrød:
  • 1 slice rye bread or pumpernickel
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 3 thin salami slices
  • 1 small tomato
  • 1-2 small gherkins
  • a few red onion rings
  • fresh parsley
  • a sprinkle of cayenne pepper optional
Havarti cheese and tomato smørrebrød:
  • 1 slice rye bread or pumpernickel
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1-2 lettuce leaves
  • 3 slices Havarti or another sliced cheese you like
  • 1 small tomato
  • some spring onion rings
  • cayenne pepper
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Traditional pickled herring smørrebrød:
Spread the Danish remoulade or the butter on the slice of bread. Arrange the pickled herrings, onion rings, diced gherkins on top. Garnish with fresh dill or thyme and sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper or paprika, if desired.

Smoked salmon and cucumber smørrebrød:
Spread the mayonnaise on the bread. Arrange the thinly cut cucumber and the smoked salmon slices on top. Add the lemon slice, garnish with spring onion rings, and some cayenne pepper, if desired.

Salami smørrebrød:
Butter the bread. Arrange the salami, tomato wedges, red onion rings, and diced gherkins on top. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Havarti cheese and tomato smørrebrød:
Butter the bread generously. Add the lettuce leaves, cheese slices, and tomato slices. Salt and pepper the tomato slices. Sprinkle with spring onion rings and some cayenne pepper.


Shamelessly filched from: 
Thank you "Where is my spoon" :-)

Images: Unsplash and Freepik.