Smørrebrød – Copenhagen on a Slice of Rye

For Swedish home cooks, the distinction between ready-to-eat pickled herring and fish that needs further preparation is particularly important. The recipe uses ready-to-eat pickled herring, not salt herring or raw herring. Swedish pickles vary widely in sweetness. Taste before building the sandwich; sweet herring may benefit more from extra onion and a sharp accompaniment than from another sweet sauce.

Leverpostej is another cornerstone. The Danish version is usually baked and may be served warm with bacon and mushrooms. Soft pâté, crisp bacon and browned mushrooms provide three quite different textures. Pickled cucumber or beetroot supplies the sharp contrast that makes the next bite as tempting as the first.

Roast beef with remoulade works in much the same way. The meat is mild and juicy, the sauce rich and tangy, the fried onions crisp. Horseradish can add a kick felt more in the nose than on the tongue. Danish remoulade is often yellow and contains finely chopped pickled vegetables; recipes and seasonings vary. A quick homemade version with mayonnaise, pickles, a little mustard and a restrained touch of curry works beautifully, but should not be confused with every other sauce called remoulade.

Rullepølse is salted, seasoned meat that is rolled, cooked and pressed before being sliced thinly. Pork is often used, with pepper, onion and other seasonings adding character. On the bread, it may be paired with jellied meat juices and raw onion. It is a fine example of how older ways of making the most of meat have become a much-loved part of today’s lunch culture.

Dyrlægens natmad, the vet’s late-night snack, is usually built from liver pâté, salt beef, jellied meat juices and onion on rye bread. The name has inspired stories about a vet and his regular order. Such tales belong to restaurant folklore, but should not be treated as firmly documented accounts of the dish’s origins. The combination itself is less elusive: soft pâté, firm meat, cool meat jelly and sharp onion.

Stjerneskud is the more flamboyant relative, often a whole meal in itself. It typically features both breaded, fried fish and steamed or poached fish, prawns and a cold dressing, with accompaniments such as asparagus, lemon and roe. Presentations vary. What matters is the contrast between crisp and gently cooked fish, not piling on as many luxury ingredients as possible.

What the classics share, then, is not excess but contrast. Fat needs acidity. Softness needs something to chew. Salt needs freshness. Garnishes only become meaningful when they contribute to the flavour – a sprig of dill can do that, whereas a large lettuce leaf sometimes simply gets in the way.

At a larger traditional frokost table, the meal often begins with herring and other fish, moves on to meat and ends with cheese. This is an established order, not a test guests have to pass. At an ordinary restaurant lunch, you simply choose the smørrebrød you want to eat, sometimes in several rounds so that delicate toppings arrive in the right condition.

Garnished smørrebrød is usually eaten with a knife and fork. That may sound rather formal for a sandwich, but above all it is practical. Each small bite can include bread, fish and accompaniments without everything landing in your lap. The simpler everyday sandwich naturally follows different rules and can be eaten by hand.

Christmas julefrokost and Easter påskefrokost give the cold buffet extra room to shine. Herring, fish, meat and warm dishes may appear over the course of an unhurried meal. There is room both for the family favourite and for the dish someone insists on making their own way every year. The tradition lies as much in the sequence, the company and the repetition as in an exact list of ingredients.

Beer and snaps have historically belonged at many such tables. The caraway or dill in aquavit can pair beautifully with rye bread, herring and herbs. But spirits are not needed to make the meal feel Danish, and alcohol should never be a condition of joining a toast. Small servings, water on the table and a thoughtfully chosen alcohol-free alternative give guests genuine choice.

A pale alcohol-free lager offers both bubbles and malty notes that suit the bread. A fresh apple-based alcohol-free drink can also work with herring, preferably one with restrained sweetness. Avoid making the drink as sweet as the pickling liquid: the overall effect can easily become heavy rather than refreshing.

At home, the most generous approach is not always to serve everything fully assembled. Put out a few finished smørrebrød to show the idea, then let guests help themselves to more of their favourites. Keep fish and other perishable toppings chilled and replenish them in small batches. That way, the last guest avoids lukewarm herring and the first avoids the feeling of being handed a work of art that must not be touched.

The New Nordic Cuisine Manifesto of 2004 highlighted seasonality, the origins of ingredients and regional traditions, among other things. Smørrebrød is much older, but fits neatly into that spirit of curiosity. Rye, fish, cabbage, root vegetables, herbs and preservation techniques already belong to its flavour world. It did not need to be reinvented to feel relevant.

On today’s table, the classics can therefore sit alongside celeriac, potatoes, mushrooms and other vegetable-based toppings. A vegetarian sandwich, however, needs to be built with the same care as one topped with roast beef. Cooked vegetables on bread do not automatically make a well-rounded composition. They need salt, fat, acidity and preferably a roasted or browned note to add depth.

At the same time, there is value in letting a herring sandwich be a herring sandwich. Innovation becomes more interesting when it understands what already works. You can change the garnish with the seasons or make your own remoulade without every plate having to carry a new idea. Sometimes the most modern thing to do is bake good bread and use it down to the very last slice.

In a Swedish kitchen, success begins at the shops. Look for moist Danish rye bread rather than a sweet, airy loaf. Choose a mild baked liver pâté if Danish leverpostej is unavailable. Roast beef from the deli counter is fine, but ask for thin slices that can be folded. For the herring, choose a ready-to-eat pickle you enjoy and let it drain thoroughly.

Then plan around temperature. Ideally, bake the bread the day before. The remoulade can be mixed ahead and refrigerated. Slice the onion and cucumber close to serving time, and cook the bacon and mushrooms last. Plate the herring and roast beef cold; the pâté can be warm. The fact that not everything should be at the same temperature is part of the dish’s charm, but also the reason not to assemble the whole lunch too early.

The most common mistakes are easy to avoid: bread that is too thick, wet toppings, too much sauce and garnishes too large to eat with the rest. Let the main ingredient show. Fold the meat loosely rather than pressing it down, spread the herring across the bread and add the crisp elements on top just before serving.

The recipes below offer three classic flavour combinations and a yeasted rye loaf for the home kitchen. Three smaller smørrebrød per person make a substantial lunch; they work just as well served in rounds. Begin with the herring, continue with the roast beef and let the warm liver pâté come last. After that, all you really need is a sharp knife, something good in your glass and time to linger.