Australian smørrebrød

"Inspired by classic a Danish lunch dish, this was one of my favourite things to eat on a day off when I lived in Copenhagen using Australian mackerel."

Australian smørrebrød Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  2

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 250 g blue mackerel fillets (or 2 fillets Tommy ruff)
• pinch sea salt flakes
• pinch ground native pepper leaf
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives, plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dill, plus extra sprigs to serve
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 4 slices rye bread
• 30 g butter, at room temperature
• 1 baby cucumber (cuke), thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp capers
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• 75 g sour cream

Pickling liquid

• 1 ½ tbsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp ground native pepper leaf
• 125 ml (½ cup) white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3 leaves anise myrtle
• 2 strips lemon zest

Cooling time: 30 minutes

Standing time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. For the pickling liquid, place all the ingredients in a saucepan along with 250 ml (1 cup) water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and stand to cool, then refrigerate until cold.
2. Generously season the mackerel fillets with a good pinch of salt and ground native pepper leaf, then stand for 5 minutes.
3. Add the fish to the cooled vinegar solution and stand for at least 30 minutes.
4. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add the egg and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water. Peel the egg, cut in half, then separate the yolk from the white. Push the white through a course strainer over a bowl, then push the yolk through the same strainer into a separate bowl. Add the chopped chives and dill and mayonnaise to the chopped egg white and stir to combine.
5. Remove the fish fillets from the vinegar brine, pat dry, then thinly slice.
6. To assemble, toast the rye bread, spread with butter, then arrange the pieces of sliced fish over the bread and layer with sliced cucumber, capers and red onion. Add a spoonful of the egg white mixture into the middle, with a spoon of the egg yolk on top of that. Place a small scoop of sour cream in the middle and garnish with extra dill sprigs and chopped chives.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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