Toast Skagen (Fancy, Swedish Shrimp Toast)

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Soooo, my whole life until a few days ago I thought this fancy, sophisticated and impressive looking Swedish starter was something so complicated to make that it wasn't even worth trying. Something I for sure could never, ever make, only my parents (and other mature, Swedish adults). Fact check: NOT TRUE! When my mom sent me a photo of the recipe from her old recipe scrapbook, my jaw dropped. It is so, so simple! So now, when I've finally and successfully made it, I am convinced that I can take on any cuisine and cook any recipe thrown at me. Maybe even French Haute Cuisine! Ooh la la! 😁 Also, I think I am now, at age 43, ready to host real, mature, fancy dinner parties. I have literally passed through the final stage, the final rite of passage, to adulthood.

But why did I even decide to make this in the first place? Well, my husband's Russian diplomat friend here in Lisbon kindly gifted us with a jar of sumptuous, Russian Lachskaviar (high quality salmon roe) from the Kamchatka province. So I called my mom and asked her what to do with it. She responded very matter-of-factly, "Why not make a Toast Skagen?" 

Toast Skagen combines cold water shrimp and a handful of ingredients on sautéed bread. It really is the perfect starter. It is named after a fishing port at the northern tip of Denmark, and is typically served as a starter at Swedish dinner parties. It was created by the famous, Swedish restaurateur Tore Wretman in 1958. Wretman embraced Swedish culinary traditions during the decades immediately after World War II. At a time when home cooking was starting to fade away and be replaced by foreign fast food, he also elevated classic Swedish dishes into fancy restaurant repertoire, lending them new status.

So there you go! Make sure you make this for your next dinner party. You will definitely impress all your guests.

Enjoy! 💗Helena


INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 thin slices of white, toast bread
  • Butter
  • 200 grams of fresh, cold water shrimp or 250 grams of frozen, peeled cold water shrimp (I bought the latter from IKEA Supermarket)
  • 4 tablespoons of Hellmann's mayonnaise
  • 1.5 teaspoon Heinz chili sauce or ketchup
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • 150-200 grams of salmon roe (you can also use other whitefish roe, such as trout)
  • Fresh dill
  • Lemon 
     



DIRECTIONS:
  1. Chop up the peeled shrimp in quite small pieces. 
     

  2. Mix together with the mayonnaise. 

  3. Colour and sweeten with the chili sauce and Worcestershire sauce to your taste. Set aside. 

  4. Form the 4 slices of toast bread into a round shape using a glass. 


  5. Sauté the bread slices in butter until they're golden brown and crunchy. 


  6. Place the shrimp mix onto the bread slices. 


  7. Then place the salmon roe on top of the shrimp mix. 



  8. Garnish with dill and place a lemon wedge on the side. 

  9. Serve freshly made. 


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