Nicolai Nørregaard’s ‘Sol Over Somewhere’ Smoked Herring Sandwich

I come from a small island in the Baltic Sea called Bornholm with a rich tradition of fishing. It was a powerhouse for the export of salted herring throughout the centuries, from the Viking age onwards. Today only 10 smokehouses are still operating, and they function solely as restaurants. I’ll let you in on a little secret: My grand cousin is smoking herring over an open fire at Hasle Smokehouse—the only person still doing it in the old-school way. It’s truly special. My uncle was a fish smoker in the little town of Aarsdale. Growing up, I often helped him in the smokehouse during the summer, assembling the wooden crates that would transport the smoked herrings to the mainland. I still remember the smell of smouldering elder wood like the fragrant soundtrack of my childhood. The most traditional and iconic recipe is called ‘Sol Over Gudhjem’ (‘Sun Over Gudhjem’), named after the town of Gudhjem where it’s thought to have originated, and it also alludes to the golden egg yolk that tops the sandwich and the island’s affectionate name of Solskinsøen or ‘The Sunshine Island’. You should use the best rye bread you can find (or bake). Nothing too fancy. Like old-school grandma style. If you know, you know.

METHOD (serves 1)

First peel the herring and remove the flesh from the bones. It’s not an easy job. There are hundreds of small annoying bones that you don’t want to get stuck in anyone’s throat! Start by tapping the herring all along the skin with the back of a butter knife. This will help loosen the skin. Break off the head and cut away the tail. Open up the fish and carefully remove the backbone and then all of the small bones. Flip the herring and remove the skin. Now you should be left with two perfect fillets. Boil the new potatoes in salted water until tender. If you want to be like the pros, add some fresh lovage to the cooking water. Chill and slice lengthwise in 3–4 mm thick discs. Fry two slices of rye bread in 50g browned butter mixed with the pork fat. Set aside to rest on a paper towel. Chop the chives and onion super fine. Slice the fresh and the pickled radishes lengthwise in 2mm thick slices. Place a fillet of herring each on a piece of fried rye bread and brush the fillets with the rest of the melted brown butter. Top the herring with the slices of potato, onion, and radishes. Sprinkle the chives and leek flowers on top together with a good pinch of flaky salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Serve the egg yolks on the side in half an eggshell, for the guests to add on top before eating.