Classic prawn salad with dill and lemon

Classic prawn salad with dill and lemon © kvalifood.com

Prawn salad is a cornerstone of Danish smørrebrød. It is made with peeled prawns, mayonnaise, crème fraîche and dill — nothing more. This is one of those recipes where the quality of the prawns decides everything. Fresh hand-peeled prawns are best, but good frozen ones work fine.

Classic prawn salad with dill and lemon assembly © kvalifood.com
Classic prawn salad with dill and lemon assembly © kvalifood.com

Ingredients

Yields 4 servings

Prawn salad

  • 400 g peeled prawns
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche 38%
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped dill
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • grated lemon zest, a little
  • salt
  • pepper

Assembly

  • 4 slices rye bread
  • fresh dill sprigs
  • ½ lemon, cut in wedges
  • chives (optional), a little

Directions

Prawn salad

  1. Squeeze the prawns gently with your hands to remove excess moisture if they are thawed.
  2. Stir together mayonnaise, crème fraîche, dill, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl.
  3. Fold the prawns into the dressing.
  4. Season with salt and pepper — go carefully with the salt, as the prawns are already salty.
  5. Leave the salad to rest for 10 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Assembly

  1. Spread the prawn salad generously on the rye bread.
  2. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs and optionally a little chive.
  3. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.