Sprat Sandwiches
How do you make festive sprat sandwiches?
One 160 g tin of sprats and 6 slices of sandwich bread make 12 festive sandwiches: toast the bread in a dry frying pan and cut it in half. Spread it with a paste of the remaining fish and 2 tbsp of cream cheese, then top with cucumber, lemon, a slice of Brie, a sprat and an olive. Assemble right before serving; it all takes 15 minutes.
Ingredients
12 pieces
- Sprats in oil 1 tin (160 g)
- Sandwich bread 6 slices
- Brie cheese 50 g
- Cucumber 1
- Cream cheese 2 tbsp (35 g)
- Lemon, olives, parsley for garnish
- Ground black pepper to taste
Step-by-step recipe
Toasting the bread
For a small gathering we’ll make the sprat sandwiches cut in half – that gives 12 pieces, while for a family dinner you can make them bigger. If you need more sandwiches, scale all the ingredients up proportionally.
Buy ready-sliced sandwich bread – it’s sold in small packs – and set aside six slices. You’ll need one tin of sprats in oil with about 160 g of contents.
Toast the bread in advance – or rather, dry it out. Place the square slices in a dry preheated frying pan with a flat, even bottom and reduce the heat to medium. Turning often, toast the bread until the surface is lightly crisp and nicely golden, then let it cool.
Alternatively, grease the pan with butter – just a thin film – and the toast will taste even better. The toasted bread is often brushed with oil from the sprat tin.
Sprat paste
Open the tin of sprats and set aside 12 fish on a separate plate – these will go on top of the sandwiches.
Carefully drain the oil and transfer the remaining fish to a bowl or a large cup. Add two heaping tablespoons of cream cheese (50 g) or a thick cream cheese like mascarpone. Season with a little black pepper and blend the mixture into a thick paste.
If you like, add a little hot pepper for a spicier taste.
Assembling the sandwiches
Get a large serving plate for the sandwiches. Lay out the toasted bread – cut the slices in half if needed. Spread each piece with the cheese and sprat paste.
Slice the cucumber thinly on the diagonal and lay the slices on the bread. Thinly slice the lemon, halve the rounds and place them next to the cucumber.
As a special addition, I use a soft bloomy-rind cheese – Brie or Camembert. Cut a piece of cheese into long thin strips and arrange them on the sandwiches.
Place the sprats alongside – two on large sandwiches or one on small ones.
Put a pitted olive and a sprig of parsley on each slice of bread.
Serving
Don’t refrigerate the finished sandwiches – they are served at room temperature. Assemble them right before serving. This is a tasty appetizer and a treat for connoisseurs.
Calories and macros
251 kcal
100 g
- Protein10.5 g17% of kcal
- Fat15.4 g56% of kcal
- Carbs16.6 g27% of kcal
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.
How did you like this recipe?
To Get It Right
Which sprats to buy
Buy tinned fish from well-known brands. The fish should lie in the tin tightly and evenly, bellies up, and be dark golden, fragrant and small. Once you’ve found a good brand, remember it.
The classic version from my childhood
Simple croutons from a white loaf, rubbed with a garlic clove and brushed with oil from the sprat tin. Each slice gets two fish, a piece of lemon and cucumber and – a must – a sprig of fresh parsley.
Instead of Brie
Camembert works too – it’s also a soft bloomy-rind cheese. If you don’t have that kind of cheese, the sandwiches are fine without it: the cream cheese and sprat paste already gives a creamy taste.
Have your own trick for this recipe?
Questions and answers
What do you spread on bread for sprat sandwiches?
Best of all, a paste of cream cheese or mascarpone blended with sprats and black pepper: 2 heaping tablespoons of cheese (20 g) to the fish left in the tin.
Which cucumber is better – fresh or pickled?
In this recipe, fresh: it adds crunch and freshness to the oily fish. Salted or pickled cucumber works too – just slice it thinly and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Can you make sprat sandwiches ahead of time?
It’s best to assemble them right before serving, so the bread stays crisp. You can toast the bread and make the paste in advance; keep the paste covered in the fridge for up to a day.
Can you make sprat sandwiches on dark rye bread?
Yes, rye or Borodinsky bread is toasted in a dry frying pan the same way as sandwich bread.
Can you toast the bread for the sandwiches in the oven?
Yes: lay the slices on a baking sheet and toast at 180 °C for 5–7 minutes, turning once, until lightly golden.