When I was a child, my Latvian-born father would sometimes for lunch spread butter on rye bread and top it with sardine-like smoked sprats or pickled herring.
I thought it was very odd that he would put weird-looking fish on bread and not want to cover them up with another slice.
I didn’t realize until I began my cooking career that what he was actually having was an open-faced sandwich. Also known as open-face or more simply, an open sandwich, it’s a style of preparation common in Northern Europe and other parts of the continent.
I learned all about that type of sandwich in 1980s when I was working as an apprentice at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay. In those days, that hotel had a restaurant that served dishes with a Nordic theme, including open-faced sandwiches.
In countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, those sandwiches are called, respectively, smörgås, smørbrød and smørrebrød, which translates to mean: “butter bread.”
These types of sandwiches have been enjoyed for eons and over the years, along with or in place of the butter, other foods were slathered on the bread, such as spreads made with smoked fish, liver, caviar and cheese.
The bread is often dense rye bread. Something you can cut thinly that’s still sturdy enough to hold a range of toppings, such as seafood, cold cuts, boiled eggs, cured meats and vegetables.
I love to serve open-faced sandwiches in the summer and did just that with the four recipes below. They are perfect food for a warm day, are not difficult to make, present well and, most importantly, taste great. No wonder my dinner guests always gobble them up soon after I set them out.
Note: The thinly sliced, dense pumpernickel rye bread I used in all the sandwiches you see in today’s photo is sold in the deli section of many supermarkets. The slices I used were about 13 centimetres by nine centimetres in size.
Shrimp and Cucumber Open-Faced Sandwiches
Crisp cucumber and bright-pink shrimp combine in these sandwiches accented with lemon and dill.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: eight sandwiches
4 thin slices pumpernickel rye bread, each halved
2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
48 thin slices English cucumber
200 grams cooked salad shrimp
8 (half moon) lemon slices
16 dill sprigs
Spread one side of each bread slice with butter, and then mayonnaise. Sprinkle the top of the mayonnaise with freshly ground black pepper. Set six slices of cucumber on each bread slice. Top the cucumber with some shrimp. Garnish each sandwich with a half moon lemon slice and two dill sprigs and serve.
Ham, Jarlsberg Cheese and Egg Open-Faced Sandwiches
Three tastes that always work well together — ham, cheese and egg — combine in this sandwich spread with sweet and tangy mustard sauce.
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: eight sandwiches
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp honey
4 thin slices pumpernickel rye bread, each halved
8 slices Jarlsberg cheese (about 150 grams)
8 paper-thin slices ham, such as country or prosciutto cotto (about 175 grams)
8 slices, cold, hard boiled egg (see Note)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Combine mustard, sour cream, mayonnaise and honey in a small bowl. Spread some of this mixture on each bread slice. Set a piece of cheese on each bread slice, and then top with a slice of ham, twisting it slightly to give it a more artful look. Set an egg slice and some green onion on each sandwich and serve.
Note: You’ll need two or three hard boiled eggs to get the slices required for this recipe. To read my story on cooking the perfect hard boiled egg, go to timescolonist.com and search “Eric Akis hard boiled eggs.”
Radish, Butter and Chive Open-Faced Sandwiches
These simple sandwiches use a crisp and often spicy summer vegetable found in many backyard gardens and farmers markets: radishes.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: eight sandwiches
2 to 3 Tbsp unsalted cultured butter (see Note)
4 thin slices pumpernickel rye bread, each halved
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
48 thin slices radish (about six large)
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives
• coarse sea salt, to taste
Spread one side of each bread slice with butter. Sprinkle the butter with freshly ground black pepper. Set six slices of radish on each bread slice. Divide and top the radish with chives. Sprinkle each sandwich with sea salt and serve.
Note: Cultured butter is made from cream that is cultured with active bacteria (similar to yogurt) and has a distinctive, slightly tangy taste. To read my story on the types of cultured butter available in Victoria, go to timescolonist.com and search “Eric Akis cultured butter.”
Herring, Carrot and Beet Open-Faced Sandwiches
Sweet and tangy pickled fish and colourful raw vegetables combine in these sandwiches spread with a horseradish/cream cheese mixture.
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: eight sandwiches
1/2 cup hard cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tsp. prepared horseradish
2 tsp. chopped fresh dill
4 thin slices pumpernickel rye bread, each halved
2 Tbsp grated carrot
2 Tbsp grated raw beets
16 ( 2-inch) slices pickled herring
8 dill sprigs
Combine cream cheese, horseradish and dill in a small bowl. Spread some of this mixture on each bread slice. Set some grated carrot on one side of each bread slice. Set some grated beet on the other side. Set two slices of herring on each bread slice and a dill sprig and serve.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
