The räkmacka, shrimp sandwich, is a fixture of Swedish cafés, ferry kiosks and train station counters: an open sandwich with a heap of small, sweet, cold water shrimp so high it hides the bread. In Swedish, the phrase to glide in on a shrimp sandwich, glida in på en räkmacka, means to have an easy ride through life without having earned it, which tells you something about how highly the sandwich is regarded.

It is assembled, not cooked, beyond boiling an egg, and it looks impressive enough for a summer party. The Swedish west coast prizes its fresh shrimp, peeled by hand on the quay, but good frozen cooked shrimp make a very fine sandwich. Put a plate of these out during a race in June and nobody will need to glide anywhere.

The eggs

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs

Method

1. Lower the eggs into boiling water and simmer for 9 minutes. Move them to the ice water for 5 minutes, then peel and slice.

The dill mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (80 g) mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice

Method

1. Stir the mayonnaise, dill and lemon juice together in the small bowl.

The sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 slices good white or light rye bread
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) softened butter
• 4 leaves of butter lettuce
• 14 oz (400 g) cooked peeled small shrimp
• 4 thin lemon slices or wedges
• 4 sprigs fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons salmon or vendace roe
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Spread each slice of bread with butter right to the edges. The butter keeps the bread from going soggy.
2. Lay a lettuce leaf on each slice, then a few slices of egg along one side. Pile a quarter of the shrimp high in the middle.
3. Spoon or pipe a line of dill mayonnaise along the shrimp, add a spoonful of roe if using, a sprig of dill, a twist of lemon and a little pepper.

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