Get a glimpse of what Danish cuisine is all about. Herring Smørrebrød is a traditional Open-Faced Sandwich that is packed with some unexpected yet delicious ingredients.
Herring Smørrebrød (Danish Sandwich)
Hi there! It's Tuesday and today I've got a new recipe that will sure to brighten the your week.
Smørrebrød is a traditional Danish Open-Faced Sandwich. It comes in a huge variety of toppings, but most popular ones come with seafood.
You can think of Smørrebrød as a fancy sandwich, but back in the 19th century it was a traditional lunch of agricultural workers. Since lunch was the main meal of the day, these workers would top a rye bread with variety of leftover ingredients from previous day meal.
Nowadays, Smørrebrød is a symbol of Denmark. You can find these cute flavor packed sandwiches in almost any Danish cafe. These sophisticated treats are often considered a full meal. They consist of many ingredients that pair perfectly with each other thus creating an ultimate union of flavor and taste.
I was lucky to try Smørrebrød back the middle of 2000s during my trip to Scandinavia. While in Copenhagen, we popped in a nice little cafe in the center of the city and ordered a few Smørrebrød sandwiches. The unusual combination of ingredients totally impressed us. Ukrainian cuisine is quite conservative and whenever we make a fish sandwich, it has to be just salmon and perhaps a bit of butter and dill. That's it. So, when we saw such ingredients as herring, beets, caviar and sprouts on one sandwich, we were pleasantly surprised and couldn't wait to dig in.
Long story short, as soon as we took a bite of Smørrebrød, we were in love. Despite that Danish open face sandwich might look complex with a weird combo of ingredients, I have to tell you, it totally rocks. Have a few slices of Smørrebrød and you're full. You know what the best part is? Most of the times, Smørrebrød is healthy. Can you say otherwise? Just look at the ingredients. Smørrebrød is packed with vegetables and greens hence added healthy benefits.
Now, the idea. If you're having a party and want to impress your friends and family with something they've never tried before, you should totally make Smørrebrød. Despite that these sandwiches might look complex, they are really easy to make. And just as pretty as they look, Smørrebrød taste absolutely delectable. Burst of flavor is guaranteed!
Recipe

Ingredients
- 2 slices Pumpernickel or other rye bread
- 1 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 medium beet steamed for 15 minutes or until soft, peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 5 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 jar marinated or pickled Herring fillets
- ½ medium shallot thinly sliced, divided
- 2 sprigs green onions divided
- 2 sprigs scallions divided
- 2 sprigs dill divided
- 4 teaspoons capers rinsed, divided
- 8 slices fresh cucumber divided
- 2 tablespoons red clover sprouts alfalfa, broccoli or any other sprouts will work too
- 1 egg hardboiled and thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a bowl of food processor combine beet, mustard, sour cream and olive oil. Process until creamy and smooth.
- Spread butter on bread.
- Fill the pastry bag with beet mousse and using Wilton tip 1M (or any similar tip), pipe the mousse into small mounds on the bread.
- Place 2-3 1-inch slices of herring on each bread followed by slices of ½ an egg.
- Top each bread with slices of ¼ shallot, 1 sprig of halved scallion, 1 sprig of halved green onion, 1 sprig of dill and 4 slices of cucumber.
- Finish off by topping each bread with 2 teaspoons of capers.
- Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, don't forget to snap a picture and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons. I'd love to see your creations.
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Julia says
This was delicious! I followed your instructions with the beets, except I used Skyr for the sour cream and it came out in a not very pipeable state. Also it’s not as pink — more lavender actually — than yours. I wonder if you meant teaspoons? I can’t imagine the Skyr made such a different consistency, but maybe it did! In any case, that is only aesthetic, the flavor of it was absolutely delicious and it lent a sweetness to the herring which was just to die for. I have Ukrainian roots too, we must share a similar palate because I truly thought this was divine. Thank you!
Iryna says
Julia, I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Beets and herring are a wonderful combo indeed. We might share a similar palate, Ukrainians love good European food:)
Hm, I'm not sure why your beet mousse didn't come out as pink as mine. I indeed used 5 tbsp of sour cream. I also don't think that Skyr made a difference. But I've never tried Skyr before, so I don't know for sure...
I've made this recipe so long ago and after your comment I crave it again:)
Stephen says
This is so delicious, I love it! The combination of flavors reminds me of my long-ago trip to Denmark.
Iryna says
Thank you Stephen! I'm so glad you liked it.
Julie says
? this is so beautiful and it looks like it would taste Devine! I love capers and will definitely being trying this ?
Iryna says
Thank you so much Julie! You will love it!