Starship Troops

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 slices of good white bread, about 1 cm thick (not your average toast!)
• e.g. butter
• 2 lettuce leaves
• 4 plaice fillets
• 1 m.-sized egg(s)
• e.g. breadcrumbs
• 100 ml water
• 100 ml white wine
• e.g. butter or oil for frying
• 120 g crab
• 60 g asparagus pieces or tips, approx. 1.5 cm long
• 35 g mayonnaise or light salad cream
• 75 g crème fraîche or ‘Cremefine like sour cream’
• 15 g ketchup
• 5 g tomato paste
• 1 tsp stock from cooking asparagus
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• e.g. salt and pepper
• Paprika powder, sweet
• 4 thin lemon slices
• Dill or parsley

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Danish smørrebrød

Spread the slices of white bread thinly with butter (a loaf of white bread is best for this) and top each with a well-washed and dried lettuce leaf. Wash the plaice fillets and pat them dry. Sauté two fillets in a mixture of water and white wine (if you don’t want to use wine, simply use 200 ml of lightly salted water) for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan or pot and let them drain on kitchen paper. Season the other two fillets with pepper and salt (and perhaps a little lemon juice), then coat them first in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumbs. Lightly press the breading onto the breadcrumbs and then fry them in hot fat until golden brown on both sides. Place the fillets briefly on kitchen paper. Meanwhile, for the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, crème fraîche, ketchup, tomato paste, asparagus water, and lemon juice together until well combined. Season with salt, pepper, and sweet paprika. Now top the bread slices. First, place a breaded plaice fillet on each lettuce leaves, then a steamed plaice fillet. Spread the red dressing roughly centrally on top. Place the prawns on top of the dressing, then the asparagus pieces on top. To decorate, cut two thin lemon slices halfway down one side, twist the ends towards each other, and place them on the asparagus. Garnish with a dill fan or parsley. Tip for a quick fix: Use pre-breaded frozen plaice and ready-made cocktail dressing from the bottle. This smørrebrød is easy to prepare and tastes just as good warm as it does cold.