Swedish Shrimp Toast (Toast Skagen)
Toast Skagen Say it: tohst SKAH-gen
Toast Skagen is one of Sweden’s best-known open sandwiches: thick slices of bread fried in butter until crisp, then piled with cold-water shrimp in a creamy dill dressing. It is served as a starter or light lunch, especially in summer and at celebrations, often with a spoonful of black fish roe on top. The contrast is the point—crisp, buttery toast against cool, briny shrimp and fresh lemon and dill. It feels elegant but comes together quickly at home.
Swedish Shrimp Toast (Toast Skagen)
Toast Skagen
Pronounced tohst SKAH-gen
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, mustard. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Toast and garnish
Shrimp salad
Method
Drain the shrimp well and pat them very dry with paper towels. If they are large, chop them roughly into bite-size pieces and keep them chilled.
In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, crème fraîche or sour cream, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, red onion, chopped dill, salt and white pepper until smooth. Fold in the shrimp, taste for seasoning, and chill while you fry the bread.
Heat 2 tbsp (28 g) of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the bread slices in batches until golden and crisp on both sides, adding the remaining butter as needed; drain on paper towels.
Pile the chilled shrimp salad generously onto the warm toast, dividing it evenly.
Top each toast with a small spoonful of black fish roe and a dill sprig. Serve immediately with lemon wedges alongside.
Regional variants
Some versions add a little finely diced cucumber or celery for crunch, and a few drops of brandy are sometimes stirred into the dressing. The same shrimp salad is also served on crispbread.
Cook's notes
- Drain and pat the shrimp very dry so the dressing stays creamy rather than watery.
- Fry the bread just before serving; warm, crisp toast is essential to the contrast.
- If using large shrimp, chop them into bite-size pieces so they sit neatly on the toast.
Serve with
Serve as a starter or light lunch with lemon wedges and a glass of dry white wine or sparkling water.
Make ahead and storage
Make the shrimp salad up to 4 hours ahead and keep it chilled; fry the bread just before serving.
