skaol
food detectiveAfter an overnight overseas flight we landed in Stockholm, dropped our bags at the Grand Hotel and set off for a tour of the city. Three hours in our energy sank at the Vasamuseet just as the 375 year old war ship had after it tried to set off from its Stockholm port. Thankfully our guide steered us to a charming lunch spot, Ulla Winbladh, where I had my first of many toast skagen. My spirits were instantly revived.
Interestingly Swedish fare is somewhat predictable. The menus have abbreviated breadth but their depth is deep and the fish and game are out of this world. Incredibly fresh catch are simply prepared with outstanding results. As is the case with this classic prawn concoction making it a hallmark of Swedish cuisine. Toast skagen was created by the famous Swedish restaurateur, Tore Wretman, in the 1950’s. Fresh baby prawns are lightly tossed with a lemony dill mayonnaise atop grilled bread. Simply translated this open-faced sandwich means “party” and is a regular for Swedes who have something to celebrate. Well at almost every turn this girl of Scandinavian roots found a reason to toast this delectable bite at almost every port.
Now that I’m back home it’s time to try to resurrect this Nordic classic- toast skagen.
Defrost small to medium shelled and deveined shrimp. Make sure to drain the shrimp well and set on paper towels to remove any extra moisture. Chill well.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped onion, lemon juice and chopped dill. Chill well.
Gently fold in the baby shrimp. This can be made hours ahead, cover and refrigerate.
Cut the crusts from homemade type white bread.
Spread butter of both sides.
Fry the bread in a skillet over medium heat until toasted, flipping once.
Remove from the pan and cut each piece in half diagonally.
To serve spoon the mixture on the toast points. Top each toast with a teaspoon of salmon roe. Garnish with lemon slices and additional dill.
For the top of this toast I searched high and low in the Miami Valley for bleak roe, which is the coup de grace of this phenomenal first course. No luck. For the record don’t attempt to put that Russian-wanna-be Romanoff “caviar” that you’ll find next to the Starkist tuna. Stay tuned while I continue my quest for this crowning jewel. In the meantime “skoal”!