Chef-tested recipe
Crisp butter-fried toast crowned with a fresh, dill-scented Swedish shrimp salad.
Toast Skagen is one of Sweden’s best-known shrimp dishes: cool, lemony shellfish piled onto warm, crisp bread. Created by Swedish restaurateur Tore Wretman, it feels luxurious without relying on complicated technique.
For canapé service, the toast is cut into small portions and fried in butter until crisp at the edges. Keep the dressing light so the sweet shrimp remain the main flavour, and assemble only when the bread has cooled.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 12 servings
- Prep Time
- 25 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Chilling Time
- 20 minutes
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Cuisine
- Swedish
- Course
- Canapé
- Best Served With
- Serve as an apéritif with sparkling wine, chilled aquavit or cucumber water. A simple green salad turns larger portions into a light lunch.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Mixing bowlpaid link
- Fine graterpaid link
- Wide frying panpaid link
- Cooling rackpaid link
- Sharp knifepaid link
- Photographpaid link: Apinanaivot, CC0. Serving vessel and background edited; photograph cropped.
Ingredients
For the Skagen mixture
- 400 g cooked peeled cold-water shrimp, well drained
- 80 g mayonnaise
- 60 g crème fraîche
- 15 g fresh dill, finely chopped
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 2 g finely grated lemon zest
- 2 g fine salt, or to tastepaid link
- 1 g ground white pepper
For the toast and finish
- 6 slices day-old white bread, about 240 g
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 10 ml neutral oil Shop paid link
- 40 g trout or vendace roe, optional
- 6 small dill sprigs
- 1 lemon, cut into small wedges
Preparation Overview
Dry the shrimp thoroughly before mixing so the dressing stays thick. Chill the filling briefly while frying the bread, then cool the toast completely. Add the topping immediately before serving to preserve the contrast between cool shrimp and crisp bread.
Method
-
Reserve 12 attractive whole shrimp for the tops. Roughly chop one-third of the remaining shrimp and leave the rest whole.
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Mix the mayonnaise, crème fraîche, chopped dill, lemon juice, zest, salt and white pepper. Fold in all the shrimp except those reserved for garnish. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.
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Trim the bread crusts if preferred and cut each slice into two neat rectangles or triangles.
-
Heat half the butter and oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread in batches for 1 to 2 minutes per side until evenly golden, adding the remaining butter as needed.
-
Transfer the toast to a rack and cool completely. Spoon the Skagen mixture generously over each piece.
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Finish each canapé with one reserved shrimp, a small amount of roe if using and a tiny dill sprig. Serve with lemon.
Beginner Technique Notes
- Press the shrimp gently between kitchen paper; watery shrimp quickly loosen the dressing.
- Adding a little oil to the butter helps it brown evenly without scorching.
- Cool the toast on a rack, not a flat plate, so steam does not soften the underside.
Tips and Variations
- Hand-peeled cold-water shrimp give the sweetest flavour, but any small, properly drained cooked shrimp works.
- Roe is a festive garnish rather than a requirement; use it sparingly.
- For a lighter finish, replace 20 g of the mayonnaise with more crème fraîche, but keep enough mayonnaise to bind the salad.
Storage
The shrimp mixture keeps for 1 day in a covered container below 4°C. Fry the bread up to 4 hours ahead and keep it uncovered at room temperature. Do not store assembled toast.
Nutritional Value
Approximately 170 kcal, 10 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate and 9 g fat per canapé, without optional roe.
Allergen Notes
Contains crustaceans, egg, milk and gluten. Optional roe adds fish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use large prawns?
Yes. Chop them into bite-sized pieces so the mixture sits securely on the small toast.
Why did my toast become soggy?
The shrimp may have been wet or the canapé was assembled too early. Dry the shrimp well and top the toast just before serving.
Is Toast Skagen served warm?
The bread may be slightly warm or room temperature, but the shrimp mixture should remain chilled until assembly.
