Living in Sweden during my very formative teen years definitely shaped my tastebuds to love anything fishy! This Swedish specialty is called Toast Skagen and is rarely missing from any celebratory occasion there. Prawns are mixed with red onions, mayo, crème fraîche, lemon and dill, dolloped on butter fried toast rounds and topped with trout roe and an additional smattering of dill. One of the best appetizers in the world!
Of course, you’re actually supposed to top the Toast Skagen with löjrom, the roe of a small whitefish called the bleak, but it’s fairly hard to find anywhere south of Trelleborg, which is why I’ve substituted trout roe, which is more readily available.
Methinks this would be a fabulous Thanksgiving appetizer! If you find the toast rounds too small or fussy, serve it as a sit down starter on diagonally halved slices of toast (crusts removed, naturally) or on thin slices of toasted brioche. Going gluten free? Fill the hollow of half an avocado with a generous helping of the skagenröra (as the prawn mixture is called without the toast), also absolutely delicious. Excellent with a glass of champagne and good company!
xoxo Donata
Ingredients
Makes 24 rounds
1 small red onion, finely chopped
240 g cooked, peeled and deveined small prawns
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped, plus a tablespoon more as garnish
4 tbsp crème fraîche
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
50 g trout roe
6 slices white toast
2 tbsp butter
Preparation
Mix the prawns, onions, crème fraîche and mayo in a bowl. Season with lemon juice, salt and ground pepper to taste. Stir in the dill. Set aside.
Use a 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut 24 rounds from the toast slices. Heat one tablespoon of butter in a large pan. When the butter is melted, add half the toast rounds. Cook until golden, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and toast rounds.
Pile a tablespoon of the prawn mixture on each toast round and decorate with half a teaspoon of roe and some dill.
Serve immediately.
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