Smoked fish smørrebrød

Mostly for lunch I eat leftovers. But for the weeks in which I'm not doing a lot of cooking, I  rely on a loaf of sliced rye in the freezer. In Copenhagen last year, I fell in love with smørrebrød - traditional Danish open-face sandwiches on dark rye bread. Every deli or bakery, café or restaurant sold some variation of this lunch-time staple. You can make a smørrebrød out of anything, but a typically Scandinavian topping will include something pickled or smoked. Probably the favourite smørrebrød of my stay came from a deli near the Botanical Gardens (Aamanns, if anyone is visiting) which featured a thick slab of blue cheese (as long and wide as the rye it perched on) sprinkled with hazelnuts and pickled sultanas, something I've since tried to recreate at home with limited success. This smoked fish topping, however, has been much more successful. Probably because it contains only a handful of ingredients - smoked fish, red onion, dill, lemon juice and sour cream - and comes together in minutes by mashing everything together with a fork. Its cold, salty creaminess contrasts nicely with the crispness of the toasted rye, which ably supports a nice thick trowelling of topping. Any leftover topping works well as an emergency pasta sauce, as I recently discovered after coming home late from a long day. Just wind through cooked pasta on the stovetop for one minute, just long enough to heat through.


Smoked fish smørrebrød
Adapted from a recipe on My Blue and White Kitchen

If you're using salmon, make sure you look for the whole fillet (it will be labelled "hot-smoked") as opposed to the flat-packed slices of lightly cured salmon (labelled "smoked").
 

300 g smoked fish, skin and bones removed (I like salmon)
200 g sour cream
½ red onion, finely chopped
a small bunch of dill, finely chopped
juice of about ¼ lemon
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
more dill, for garnish
rye bread, for serving


Mash fish, sour cream, onion, and dill together with a fork.

Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Spread thickly on toasted rye.