In Sweden, we eat this delicious prawn dish all year round, both as a luxurious lunch or as an elegant party canapé or starter.

Created by Swedish restaurateur Tore Wretman in the 1950s and named after the northern Danish fishing port Skagen, it has come to symbolise the classic Swedish cuisine. For me, it is about the seaside and the smell and taste of the sea and painted simple timber houses on rocky outcrops in the archipelago north of Gothenburg.

The key to this recipe is prawns on shells as there is no comparison with pre-peeled prawns in terms of taste. So put your apron on and start peeling. This recipe is delicious but very simple to make. All you need is prawns, dill, mayonnaise, sour cream, or crème fraiche.

In this recipe, I have also added grated fresh horseradish as it elevates the dish to another level. Horseradish is an ingredient we often use in Nordic cooking, especially with fish and seafood. If you cannot find it, use creamed horseradish or dijon mustard to taste.

Serves: 4 as a starter or 8 as a canapé   Total: 20 min

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4 as a starter or 8 as a canapé
Prep 20 min

600 g shell on prawns
50 ml mayonnaise
50 ml sour cream or crème fraiche
2 tbsp chopped dill
½ tbsp grated horseradish
White pepper and salt to taste
4 slices of plain, white bread
Thin slices of lemon to decorate
Dill sprigs to decorate

Tips: If you cannot find fresh horseradish, use 1 tsp of horseradish cream, or 1 tsp of Dijon mustard.

METHOD

Peel the prawns and chop the dill. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, and dill. Season with a pinch of white pepper and salt. Turn in the prawns.

Toast the white bread slices. Cut off the end crust. Spread with butter and top with the prawn mix.

Decorate each portion with a slice of lemon and a dill sprig.

Tips: Finish it off with a teaspoon of fish roe.

Did you know that in Sweden, we eat 500 tons of fish roe every year?

The rocky outcrops of Bohuslän archipelago stretches from Norway to Gothenburg along the West coast of Sweden. It is one of my favourite places and the name of the architecture practice I share with my English husband. Archipelago means a group of islands, and there are 267,570 islands in Sweden, including the archipelagos on the East coast.