6 Savory Toppings for Crunchy Swedish Hard Bread

Sliced Radishes and Hard Boiled Eggs

My Favorite Simple Summer Toppings: Fresh Tomatoes and Cucumbers

Variations for Open-Faced Swedish Hard Bread Sandwiches

Sweden’s Midsummer Festival is the celebration of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, when the sun never sets.

At the Midsummer feast, it’s always traditional in Sweden to eat seafood, like herring, salmon and shrimp. Gravlax (cured salmon) is a favorite and prominent food in Sweden. Important vegetables and fruits from summer’s first harvest, like radishes, onions, potatoes and strawberries are featured, too. Dill is the herb used in abundance.

Gravlax is the most ubiquitous and popular Midsummer delicacy and topping

Swedish Shrimps are Tiny and Sweet, Very Different From Their American Cousins. Found in the freezer section of IKEA

Even Avocado! The options are endless

With regard to Swedish hard bread toppings, think of what might be in American sandwiches and the options are endless. As well as the typical seafood and vegetables, cheese, cured venison and ham are regular additions. There are even modern versions with out-of-season vegetables using avocado, tomatoes, carrots and beets, you name it!.

Besides the flavor and crunch of Swedish hard bread, the nutrition and low calorie content are added bonuses! In the U.S., WASA bread is the most common brand of Swedish hard bread.

My favorite is always Sourdough, whether it is 100% rye, 100% whole grain or 100% whole oats

Pickled Herring, Fresh Dill and Sliced Red Onion on 100% Rye Coarse Hard Swedish Bread

Herring, fished locally, is omnipresent on the Swedish table. It is delicious pickled, smoked and grilled. It is a fragile fish – as are sardines and anchovies, its cousins – so it is mostly cured where it can’t be caught right out of the sea.

Since we in the U.S. are unlikely to find fresh herring (recipe below), it can be served with a store-bought version of pickled herring. It is easily found in the refrigerator section of virtually all grocery stores. The most authentic jarred pickled herring is found at IKEA.

Ingredients:
Pickled Herring, from a jar or home-made
Thinly Sliced Red Onion
Chopped Green Onions, optional for color
Thinly Sliced Potatoes, optional for smooth texture
Thinly Sliced Radishes, optional
Dollops of Swedish Mustard, optional

Directions:
Top the hard Swedish bread with thinly sliced boiled potatoes and smother with the pickled herring. Top with sliced red onion and dill.

Home-made Pickled Herring
From SwedishFood.com

Herring spoils fast, so it is almost always cured. Pickled and smoked herring are especially prolific and popular in northern Europe.

7 oz salted herring fillets
(6 fl oz) water*
(4 fl oz) granulated sugar
2 fl oz vinegar, 12% if available
1/2 sliced red onion
6 white pepper corns
2 allspice berries, optional
1 pice of peeled horseradish
1 small piece of ginger (optional)
2 bay leaves (optional)

1. Soak rinsed filets in water while preparing the pickling liquid.

2. Place the water, vinegar and granulated sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool.

3. Drain the herring fillet, dab them dry with kitchen towel and cut them into ¾ inch wide pieces. Layer with all the remaining ingredients in a glass jar.

4. Pour the cold pickling solution over the herring and transfer to a fridge and keep for at least 24 hours before serving.

5. If the pickling solution becomes a little cloudy, pour it off and make a new solution, but allow it to cool before pouring it on to the herring.