Skagenröra

Ingredients

• 14⅛ ozshrimpcooked, peeled, well drained, roughly chopped
• 2¾ ozmayonnaisefor the dressing
• 2¾ ozcrème fraîcheor sour cream / gräddfil
• 1 bunchdillfinely chopped, keep some fronds for garnish
• 1lemonjuice and zest for the mixture, wedges for serving
• 1red onionvery finely diced or sliced
• 4white breadslices, fried in butter
• 1 ozbutterfor frying the bread
• 1⅓ ozvendace roefor garnish; other fish roe can be used
• saltto taste
• pepperblack or white, to taste
• 1 tspMustardstirred into the dressing (optional)
• 4lettuceas a base on the toast (optional)

Method

1. Prepare and dry the shrimpIf the shrimp are frozen, let them thaw completely, and peel them if needed. Drain the shrimp well, pat them dry with paper towels and chop them roughly.
2. Prepare the lemon and dillWash the lemon in hot water and cut it in half. Finely grate the zest from one half and squeeze out its juice; cut the other half into wedges. Finely chop the dill, setting a few fronds aside for garnish.
3. Mix the creamIn a bowl, stir the mayonnaise, crème fraîche, chopped dill, lemon juice and lemon zest together until smooth. Stir in the mustard if you like.
4. Fold in shrimp and onionGently fold the chopped shrimp and the finely cut red onion into the cream so the shrimp keep their shape. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Chill brieflyCover the bowl and chill the mixture in the fridge for about 10 minutes to let the flavors settle.
6. Fry the bread in butterMeanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the slices of white bread on both sides until golden brown.
7. Top, garnish and serveIf using, lay a lettuce leaf on each warm slice of bread. Spoon the shrimp mixture generously on top, garnish with the vendace roe, the reserved dill and the lemon wedges, and serve at once.

Tips and variations

In the classic restaurant version, the bread is served with the crusts removed. One version swaps the fried white bread for pumpernickel and tops it with lumpfish roe instead of löjrom. For a gratin, stir capers into the mixture, spread it in a baking dish, top with a crust of panko and butter, bake for about 20 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F) and eat it warm with bread or crispbread. Another version fills homemade puff pastry cases instead of toast and adds crayfish tails to the shrimp mixture. A sourdough version spreads the mixture on sourdough bread and seasons it with Tabasco and spring onions. On an appetizer table, Skagenröra sits well next to crispbread, herring and gravlax.