The dish to eat in Copenhagen · Denmark

Smørrebrød

Name: Smørrebrød three ways: herring, egg and shrimp, roast beef
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Denmark
Ingredients: 12 thin slices Danish rye bread (rugbrød); 4 tbsp (60 g) soft salted butter; For the herring: 8 pieces pickled herring (marinated, not in cream), 1/2 small red onion very thinly sliced, 1 tbsp capers, dill sprigs; For the egg and shrimp: 4 eggs, 7 oz (200 g) small cooked cold-water shrimp, 4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp lemon juice, 4 lemon slices, dill sprigs; For the roast beef: 8 oz (225 g) rare roast beef, very thinly sliced, 4 tbsp remoulade (Danish relish mayonnaise) or mayonnaise mixed with chopped pickles and a pinch of curry powder, 2 tbsp crispy fried onions, 1 tbsp grated fresh horseradish, a few cornichons sliced; Butter lettuce leaves

Photo: Nillerdk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Danish open sandwiches on dense rye bread, piled with pickled herring, roast beef, egg and shrimp, or fried plaice.

Lunch in Copenhagen is smørrebrød: buttered rye, one topping done carefully, eaten with a knife and fork and a cold beer or a shot of akvavit. The old rule is herring first, then fish, then meat, then cheese.

Where to eat it Cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Copenhagen

Restaurant Schønnemann
Hauser Plads, Indre By
Order: Pickled herring, the hand-peeled shrimp on egg, and a glass of their own akvavit
Open since 1877, the classic smørrebrød lunch room; book ahead.
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Aamanns 1921
Niels Hemmingsens Gade, Indre By
Order: The smørrebrød lunch: herring, fried plaice and the tartare
Adam Aamann's modern take, with bread baked in-house and very careful toppings.
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Restaurant Palægade
Palægade, Frederiksstaden
Order: Fried plaice with remoulade and the roast beef with horseradish
A handsome lunch room near Kongens Nytorv with a long smørrebrød card.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best smørrebrød in Copenhagen, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Smørrebrød three ways: herring, egg and shrimp, roast beef

Serves 4Time 45 min

The bread does the work, so use real Danish rugbrød (dense, sour, full of seeds), sliced thin, and butter it to the edges. Then three classic toppings, each built in order.

Pans and tools

Bread knife
Small saucepan
Serving board

You’ll need

12 thin slices Danish rye bread (rugbrød)
4 tbsp (60 g) soft salted butter
For the herring: 8 pieces pickled herring (marinated, not in cream), 1/2 small red onion very thinly sliced, 1 tbsp capers, dill sprigs
For the egg and shrimp: 4 eggs, 7 oz (200 g) small cooked cold-water shrimp, 4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp lemon juice, 4 lemon slices, dill sprigs
For the roast beef: 8 oz (225 g) rare roast beef, very thinly sliced, 4 tbsp remoulade (Danish relish mayonnaise) or mayonnaise mixed with chopped pickles and a pinch of curry powder, 2 tbsp crispy fried onions, 1 tbsp grated fresh horseradish, a few cornichons sliced
Butter lettuce leaves

Steps

Boil the eggs 9 minutes, then cool in ice water, peel and slice.
Butter every slice of bread right to the edges; it keeps the topping from soaking in.
Herring: lay a lettuce leaf on 4 slices, then 2 pieces of herring each. Top with red onion rings, a few capers and dill.
Egg and shrimp: cover 4 slices with overlapping egg slices. Mix the mayonnaise with the lemon juice and spoon a little over the egg. Pile the shrimp high on top, and finish with a twisted lemon slice and dill.
Roast beef: fold the beef in loose waves over the last 4 slices so it stands up. Spoon remoulade along the middle, then scatter crispy onions, horseradish and cornichons.
Serve on a board, herring first, and eat with a knife and fork.

Chef’s tips

Pile the toppings high: in Copenhagen the bread should barely show.

No rugbrød? Use the densest whole-grain German rye you can find.

Cold beer and a shot of ice-cold akvavit is the Danish way, especially with the herring.

Contains: Wheat/rye (gluten), fish, shellfish (crustaceans), egg, milk, mustard.

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