Smørrebrød with Breaded Cod Roe, Caper Butter and Lemon-Chervil
Breaded Cod Roe with Caper Butter and Lemon-Chervil © kvalifood.com
Cod roe on smørrebrød is an old tradition that was everyday food in coastal towns, where the roe was a cheap by-product of the cod fishery. The roe is first cooked, then sliced and breaded so it gets a crisp exterior while the inside remains soft and creamy with a mild, slightly sweet fishy flavour. The caper butter is a classic French technique — beurre noisette — used here to add a nutty depth and salty caper bursts. Chervil, with its mild anise flavour, is the traditional herb for cod roe in Danish cooking. It is a smørrebrød that is disappearing from many lunch menus, which is a shame, because it is one of the more interesting ones.
Ingredients
Yields 4 servings
Caper butter
- 60 g butter
- 2 tbsp small capers
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Breaded cod roe
- 400 g cooked cod roe, cut into 1 cm thick slices
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter, for frying
Assembly
- 4 slices dark rye bread
- Butter, for the rye bread
- Remoulade (see recipe #19)
- Lemon slices
- Fresh chervil
- Flaky salt
Directions
Breaded cod roe
Season the roe slices with salt and pepper. Bread them in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Fry in butter over medium heat, about 2–3 minutes per side, until golden.
Caper butter
Melt butter in a small pan over medium-high heat. Let it brown lightly — it should smell nutty. Add the capers (watch out, they spit!) and lemon juice. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
Assembly
Butter the rye bread. Spread with remoulade. Place the breaded roe slices on top. Pour the hot caper butter over. Garnish with lemon slices, fresh chervil and flaky salt.