Rye bread and gravlax open sandwich (smørrebrød)

A Nordic seafood dish built on whole ingredients.

Servings: 4
Active time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min

Organic sourcing

Cucumbers and fresh herbs like dill are more likely to have pesticide residues, making organic sourcing beneficial for these ingredients. Organic bread may have less impact.

Ingredients

• 4 slices rye bread
• 200 g gravlax
• 4 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp horseradish, freshly grated
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
• 1 small bunch fresh dill
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• to taste sea salt
• to taste black pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. Spread each slice of rye bread with a tablespoon of cream cheese.
2. Mix the grated horseradish with a bit of lemon juice to form a paste.
3. Spread the horseradish mixture thinly over the cream cheese on each slice.
4. Place slices of gravlax evenly over the prepared rye breads.
5. Arrange the cucumber slices neatly on top of the gravlax.
6. Season with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
7. Garnish each open sandwich with sprigs of fresh dill and a wedge of lemon. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Whole grain rye bread works best for texture and flavor.
• For a vegetarian version, use avocado instead of gravlax.
• Pair with a light Nordic beer or a citrusy white wine.

Source

Paraphrased from the culinary canon by Organic.is editors, 2026. Classic Nordic recipe. If you'd like a specific source for further reading, ask Tinni (bottom-right) for a book recommendation.