Stjerneskud

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide frying pan, 28cm
• •Steamer or a pan with a heatproof plate and lid
• •Three shallow bowls for breading
• •Sharp serrated knife
• •Vegetable peeler for the asparagus

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the Marie Rose

   Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, Cognac, lemon juice, and a pinch of cayenne together in a small bowl. Taste it. It should be pale coral, gently sweet, and lifted by the acid. This is the sauce that ties the whole piece together, so give it the attention it deserves. Cover and chill while you work.

   Use a mayonnaise you'd happily eat on its own. The sauce is simple enough that a tired jar will show through.
2. 2

   Cook the asparagus

   Bring a wide pan of well-salted water to a gentle simmer. Slide the peeled white asparagus in and cook for four to six minutes, depending on thickness, until the tip of a knife slides in with no resistance. White asparagus is firmer than green and needs longer than you think. Lift them out and lay them on a tray to cool. Don't shock them in ice water. You want them cool, not cold, so they don't chill the whole piece when assembled.

3. 3

   Steam the plaice

   Season the two plain fillets lightly with salt. Set them on a plate that fits inside a steamer or over a pan of simmering water. Cover and steam for three to four minutes, until the flesh turns from translucent to opaque white and flakes gently when pressed. Lift them off the heat and let them rest. Steamed plaice is the quiet half of stjerneskud. It's there for tenderness, not for crunch, and it carries the shrimp and the sauce.

4. 4

   Bread the fillets

   Set out three shallow bowls: flour seasoned with salt and white pepper, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs. Take the four fillets for frying and press each one first into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Press gently so the crumbs stick in an even layer. Any bare patches will go soggy in the pan. The crumb is what gives stjerneskud its architecture, the crisp base that holds the rest.

5. 5

   Fry until golden

   Heat the butter and oil together in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is foaming and smells of hazelnuts, lay the breaded fillets in. Don't crowd them. Fry for two minutes on each side until the crumbs are deep gold and the fish is just cooked through. Lift them onto kitchen paper to drain. Butter alone would burn before the crumbs coloured. Oil alone would taste of nothing. Together they give you the golden crust and the nutty richness that makes the whole piece sing.

6. 6

   Butter the bread

   Spread each slice of white bread generously with softened butter, right to the edges. Not a thin layer. A proper one. The butter isn't seasoning, it's the seal that keeps the bread from going wet under the sauce and the fish. This is one of the non-negotiable rules of smorrebrod. Bread, butter, then everything else.

   Stjerneskud is one of the few pieces of smorrebrod served on white bread instead of rugbrod. The delicate flavors of plaice and shrimp would be swallowed by dark rye.
7. 7

   Build the base

   Lay a fried plaice fillet on each slice of buttered bread, running the length of the bread. Tear the two steamed fillets into four pieces and lay them alongside the fried ones, so each slice carries both textures. The fried half is the crunch. The steamed half is the softness. Stjerneskud only works when both are there.

8. 8

   Crown with the luxuries

   Pile a generous handful of cold-water shrimp over the fish on each piece, letting them heap up in the centre. Lay two spears of white asparagus across the top at a slight angle, like crossed swords. Spoon a ribbon of Marie Rose sauce over the shrimp, not drowning them, just dressing. Finish with a teaspoon of lumpfish roe at one end, a small sprig of dill, and a lemon wedge at the side. This is where the dish gets its name. The asparagus and the sauce and the caviar make it look like it's shooting off the plate.

9. 9

   Serve at once

   Bring the plates to the table straight away. Stjerneskud is eaten with a knife and fork, never picked up, and it never waits. The fried crumb softens under the sauce within minutes, so the window between finishing the last piece and sitting down to eat should be short. A cold beer and a small glass of aquavit alongside, if the occasion calls for it. Tak for mad.

Chef Tips

• •Use the smallest cold-water shrimp you can find, the kind sold peeled and already cooked in Scandinavian fishmongers. The large tiger prawns some recipes call for are not the same dish. The small pink shrimp have the sweetness and the tenderness that make stjerneskud what it is.
• •White asparagus is the season that decides this dish. In Denmark that's May and June. Outside those weeks, good green asparagus is a more honest substitute than tired imported white. Don't apologise for it. Just know what you're eating.
• •A cold Danish pilsner and a small glass of aquavit is the drink. If the occasion is bigger, a glass of good white Burgundy alongside does no harm at all.
• •Build the pieces in order and bring them to the table at once. Stjerneskud does not hold. The crumb softens under the sauce within ten minutes, and half the pleasure of the dish is the contrast between the warm crisp fish and the cold shrimp and sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •The Marie Rose sauce can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge. The flavor settles overnight.
• •The asparagus can be cooked a few hours ahead and kept at room temperature, covered with a clean cloth. Don't refrigerate, which makes it woody.
• •The fish is always fried and steamed just before serving. Stjerneskud is assembled at the last possible moment and brought straight to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)