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Smoked Herring on Toast with Cream Cheese

smokedherringtoastcreamcheeseUsing a humble can of smoked herring along with some other flavourful ingredients, like cream cheese, sauerkraut, briny capers, onion and dill, you can whip up the most delicious smoked herring toast that’s perfect for a quick lunch or snack.

3 slices bread, such as light rye, pumpernickel, kefir or sourdough, each slice about 5x3½" wide
6 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp.)
6 Tbsp. sauerkraut, drained well of excess moisture (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp.)
1 (3 oz) can golden smoked herring fillets (92 g)
1 Tbsp. fresh chives, minced
1 tsp. capers, drained
1 tsp. fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground

Garnish:
lemon olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil

Toast bread on both sides. Spread 2 Tbsp. of cream cheese on each slice of toast. Top each slice with 2 Tbsp. of well-drained sauerkraut.

Remove the smoked herring fillets from the liquid in the can and distribute the fillets over the sauerkraut.

Distribute chives, capers, dill and red onion over top of each toast.

Sprinkle with a pinch of black pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil, if using. Serve and enjoy.

The quantity of toasts you yield may vary, depending on the size of your bread slices. Generally speaking, you will yield 2-3 toasts.

Cook's Notes:

  • Toast your bread on both sides (unless you are lucky enough to get your hands on Danish rye, which is hearty enough not to be toasted). This makes for a sturdy base to hold all those toppings. Soft sandwich bread is not the thing to use here.
  • Unless you are using Danish rye, use a nice artisanal bread from your local bakery. Kefir bread, pumpernickel, rye or sourdough are all great options.
  • Don’t be cheap with the cream cheese. Give your toast a good slather. It pairs beautifully with the smoked fish. I like to use a generous 2 Tbsp. per slice (more if the slices are larger).
  • Ensure your cream cheese is softened so it’s nice and spreadable. You can even whip it, if you like, with a small food processor.
  • Squeeze your sauerkraut well of excess moisture. You don’t want soggy bread here.
  • This recipe yields about 3 smoked herring toasts. The quantity you yield may vary, depending on how large your slices of bread are.
  • Fresh dill was used, but if you don’t have on hand, try dried dill.