12769 Swedish Open-Faced Mussel and Bacon Sandwiches Makes 4 servings Wed Aug 06 07:56:45 -0700 2008 Fri Feb 06 23:20:22 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12769 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 07:20:22 GMT Although Sweden is best known culinarily for its elaborate smorgasbords, some of the country's unusual open-faced sandwiches—laden with everything from pickled herring and onions to curried eggs to liver paste—match almost anything the Danes can come up with. Never could I imagine the affinity between fresh mussels and bacon till I had this delectable sandwich one day for lunch at a smart café in Malmö, and the fact that white toast was used instead of the more traditional sour rye or pumpernickel bread was fully justified by the way the residual juice of the mussels gradually seeped into the bread and contrasted with the crispy bacon. Since all Scandinavian bacon (whether Canadian- or streaky-style) tends to be very salty, the only seasoning needed, if you manage to find genuine Danish bacon, is a few grinds of pepper.

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  • In a large, heavy skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till almost crisp, drain on paper towels, and break crosswise in half. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet and set the skillet aside.
  • Place the mussels in a large pot and add about 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and steam the mussels about 2 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, shuck them, discarding any with shells that have not opened.
  • Place the skillet back over moderate heat and add the butter to the bacon fat. Add the mussels and stir till slightly firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide the mussels evenly over the toasted bread slices, top each with equal pieces of bacon, season with black pepper, and sprinkle dill over the tops. Serve on sandwich plates with knives and forks.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com James Villas 50 Main 8 slices smoked Danish or slab bacon, rind removed

    ]]>     32 fresh mussels in the shell, scrubbed and bearded

    ]]>     2 tablespoons butter

    ]]>     4 large, thick, firm-textured slices white loaf bread, toasted

    ]]>     Freshly ground black pepper to taste

    ]]>     2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

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