Salmon salad with pineapple on open-faced sandwich
Salads,  Starters and appetizers

Super easy salmon salad

Ever heard of Danish ‘smørrebrød´? It’s the Danish word for open sandwiches, and they make up a key part of the diet in Denmark. Served on a rye bread base, we top these open sandwiches with various deli toppings, often including cold cuts or fish, and dress them with one or more relishes or mayonnaise dressings. Here, we wanted to share an old recipe from Karen-Anne’s family, where the fish, in this case salmon, is mixed together with mayonnaise, curry and pineapple, creating a scrumptious, creamy salmon salad. It’s easy to make, will keep for a day or two in the fridge, and makes for a delicious ‘smørrebrød’ topping.

‘Smørrebrød’ is almost a religion in Denmark, and every person will have their favourite combination of toppings. Really, you can get away with almost any combinations of toppings your heart desires, though there are a few no gos like for example putting mayonnaise on top of liver paté. If you run into some Danes ask them to elaborate, they will passionately share their opinions!

In Denmark, we love ‘smørrebrød’ so much that we have whole days dedicated to eating them. At Christmas and Easter many Danes will throw big lunches for friends and family where basically the main point is to eat ‘smørrebrød’ all day. Some will even throw schnapps into the bargain. Let’s just say it can get quite merry! In-between the holidays, we eat them too of course, but maybe control ourselves to just having 2 or 3.

Salmon salad with curry, mayo and pineapple (for 2-3 open sandwiches)

Ingredients

7 oz (200 g) hot smoked or baked salmon (no skin)

2 tbsp good quality mayonnaise

1/2 tsp curry powder

3.5 oz (100 g) pineapple cut into small pieces

Salt and pepper

Serving suggestions: serve on rye bread with green leaves such as pea shoots or watercress

Directions

1. Break up the salmon into flaky pieces in a bowl. Cut up the pineapple and let it drip a bit in a sieve to get rid of excess juice.

2. Mix all the ingredients together gently, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Leave in the fridge to cool for at least 15 min. before serving.

Enjoy!

For more Danish and nordic inspired lunch ideas, check out these recipes:
Homemade gravlax with greens
Zesty smoked salmon with capers, red onion, mustard and dill
Rye bread with beer - classic Danish recipe

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