Torskerogn med Remoulade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide pot, 4 litre capacity
• •Muslin cloth or clean thin tea towel
• •Kitchen string
• •Heavy frying pan
• •Sharp knife for slicing the chilled roe
• •Serrated knife for the rugbrod

Instructions

1. 1

   Wrap the roe

   Rinse the cod roe very gently under cold running water. The sack is fragile. If it tears, the eggs spill into the cooking water and you'll be left with nothing to slice. Lay the roe on a double layer of muslin or a clean tea towel and wrap it into a loose parcel, tying the ends with kitchen string. The cloth holds the shape steady while it poaches and gives you something to lift it out by.

   Ask the fishmonger for roe in an unbroken sack. Late January through February is the season in Danish waters, and that's when you find it at its best.
2. 2

   Build the poaching liquid

   Pour the cold water into a wide pot and add the salt, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, and the two lemon halves squeezed in, spent shells dropped in after. Cold water matters here. If you start the roe in hot water, the outside seizes and the inside stays raw. A slow rise from cold lets the heat reach the centre evenly.

3. 3

   Poach gently

   Lower the wrapped roe into the cold liquid and set the pot over a medium heat. Bring it slowly to a bare simmer, which should take about fifteen minutes. You want the surface to tremble, not bubble. Onceit reaches that quiet simmer, cook for another twenty minutes. The roe is ready when it feels firm to the touch through the cloth, like a ripe pear with a little resistance at the centre.

4. 4

   Cool in the liquid

   Take the pot off the heat and let the roe cool completely in its poaching liquid. This is not optional. The roe firms as it cools, and the liquid keeps it moist. Once the pot is at room temperature, lift the parcel out, set it on a plate, and chill it in the fridge for at least two hours. Overnight is better. A cold roe slices cleanly. A warm one crumbles into the pan.

5. 5

   Slice thick

   Unwrap the chilled roe and peel away any loose membrane on the outside. Slice it into rounds about one and a half centimetres thick with a sharp knife. Thinner and they fall apart in the pan. Thicker and the inside stays cool while the crust takes on too much colour. Lay the slices on a plate, season lightly with salt and pepper, and dust each side in plain flour. Shake off the excess. The flour is what gives you the crackle when they meet the butter.

6. 6

   Fry to deep gold

   Heat the butter and oil together in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. The oil stops the butter from burning, the butter gives the slices their nutty colour and flavour. When the butter foams and starts to smell of hazelnuts, lay the roe slices in. Cook for two to three minutes on each side without crowding the pan. You want a deep golden crust, almost mahogany at the edges. Lift them onto kitchen paper and let them cool completely. This is a cold smorrebrod. Fried hot, served cold. That's how the lunch counters did it.

   Don't rush the cooling. The flavour deepens and the texture settles as the slices come down to room temperature. Twenty minutes is the minimum.
7. 7

   Assemble the smorrebrod

   Spread each slice of rugbrod with a generous layer of remoulade, going right to the edges. Lay two cold roe slices on top of each piece, overlapping slightly so they cover most of the bread but leave a dark border of rye showing. Scatter the chives across the top in a thick green line. Finish with a small grind of black pepper and tuck a lemon wedge alongside. Serve on a flat plate with a knife and fork. Smorrebrod is never picked up, and this one especially, because the layers are the whole point.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh cod roe is a winter ingredient. From late January through February is the window in Danish waters. Outside that season, ask the fishmonger for frozen roe from the same catch, which holds well and poaches the same way. Don't substitute other roe. Cod roe has the particular mild, creamy texture the dish is built around.
• •Danish remoulade is the yellow, gently sweet, vegetable-flecked kind, not the French version. Brands like Beauvais or Graasten are the traditional choice. If you can't find one, mix good mayonnaise with a teaspoon of mild curry powder, a spoonful of finely chopped cornichons, and a little chopped caper.
• •The flour for dusting should be plain, nothing more. Some cooks use rye flour for a nuttier crust, which is a Jutland touch and not wrong, just different. Try it once you've made the standard version and know what you're comparing it to.
• •A cold beer and a small glass of aquavit are the traditional accompaniments. If you're eating this as part of a proper Danish lunch, the roe comes after the herring and before the warm dishes. That's the order, and the order is the meal.

Advance Preparation

• •The poaching and chilling should be done the day before you serve. Poach the roe in the morning or evening, cool it in the liquid, then refrigerate overnight wrapped in its cloth. A fully cold roe is the only roe that slices cleanly.
• •The frying can be done up to four hours before serving. Fry the slices, let them cool to room temperature, cover loosely, and keep them in a cool place, not the fridge. The fridge makes the crust go soft.
• •Assemble the smorrebrod just before eating. Rugbrod spread with remoulade sits well for an hour, but once the roe goes on, serve within fifteen minutes so the bread stays dark and dry under the topping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)