Räksmörgås (Swedish Open Shrimp Sandwich)

About This Recipe

Räksmörgås is a real, traditional Swedish dish, known as Swedish Open Shrimp Sandwich. An open-faced rye bread sandwich piled high with cold-water shrimp, egg, mayonnaise, cucumber and dill.\n\nRäksmörgås grew out of Sweden's long-standing open sandwich (smörgås) tradition and became especially popular in the 20th century as small cold-water shrimp became widely available in coastal Sweden, remaining a cafe lunch staple today.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Swedish home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 slicesdark rye bread
• 3 tbspbutter(softened)
• 400 gcooked and peeled small shrimp
• 3 tbspmayonnaise
• 1 tsplemon juice
• 2hard-boiled eggs(sliced)
• 0.5cucumber(thinly sliced)
• 1iceberg lettuce leaf, per slice
• 2 tbspchopped fresh dill
• 1lemon(cut into wedges)

Instructions

1. 1

   Butter the bread

   Spread each slice of rye bread generously with softened butter.

2. 2

   Mix the shrimp

   Toss the shrimp gently with mayonnaise and lemon juice in a bowl.

3. 3

   Build the base

   Lay a lettuce leaf on each buttered bread slice.

4. 4

   Add the layers

   Arrange cucumber slices, then sliced egg over the lettuce.

5. 5

   Pile the shrimp

   Mound the dressed shrimp generously on top of the egg and cucumber.

6. 6

   Garnish

   Scatter fresh dill over each open sandwich and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Variations

• •

  Add a spoonful of fish roe on top for a more festive presentation.

• •

  Swap rye bread for a soft white roll for a milder, less assertive base.

• •

  Add thin avocado slices for a modern twist popular in Swedish cafes today.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions