Simon Bajada’s sill, dill & omelette sandwich makes a speedy and authentically Nordic lunch
“From Odense to Reykjavik, no smorgasbord, Danish smørrebrød selection or Christmas table can escape the pickled herring, also known as sill or sild.
The variety of preparation methods is endless, but I find that its strong, sweet and salty flavour always seems to dominate whatever dish it is in.
That said, I love it. You can’t go wrong combining it with new potatoes or sitting it on top of a crispbread with some crunchy cucumber slices.
But I fully admit that for newcomers to this special fish, the flavours can be a bit overwhelming. So with a nod to the Nordics’ neighbours to the east, this mayonnaise mix, similar to a Russian salad, softens the intensity of the herring.
Pickled herring is readily available from that large Swedish furniture retailer or Eastern European delis.”
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 250g pickled herring, drained and cut into 2 cm dice
• 1 red onion, 1/2 finely diced, 1/2 thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• 50g peas, thawed if frozen; if using fresh peas blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes
• 1 baguette
• 250g iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
• 50g fresh horseradish, peeled
Method
1 First make 2 thin omelettes. Melt half the butter in a non-stick frying pan until foaming. Pour in half the beaten eggs and cook for 2 minutes until just firm. Flip over and cook on the other side for 1 minute.
2 Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining eggs. Set aside on a chopping board. Cut each omelette in half to make 4 half-moons.
3 Combine the herring, diced onion, mayonnaise, dill and peas in a bowl.
4 Slice the baguette down the middle and line with the slices of omelette. Spoon in the herring mixture and top with the lettuce.
5 Garnish with the onion slices, then using a zester, grate over the fresh horseradish. Cut the baguette into quarters and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Simon Bajada, extracted from The New Nordic
