In Sweden these little fish “sandwiches” are made with Baltic herring, but you can make them with any small fish from which you can remove the backbone, such as smelts, anchovies, and sardines (the names of all of these fish are confused anyway—many true herring and anchovies are called sardines and vice versa). To bone these fish, grasp the head and pull straight down; most of the innards will come out along with it; use your thumb to open the fish up from the front, then grasp the backbone and remove. You’ll be left with two tiny fillets joined by the skin. Plan to make eight of these—four sandwiches—for each serving if you make them as a main course.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 servings, 4 as a main course

　　6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

　　1/2 cup snipped fresh dill leaves

　　1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　32 sardines, anchovies, small herrings, or smelts, boned (see headnote)

　　2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　2 eggs

　　Bread crumbs, preferably homemade (page 580), for dredging

　　Lemon wedges

　　

Step 1

Cream together 4 tablespoons of the butter with the dill, mustard, and some salt and pepper. (You can do this in a small food processor; make sure the butter is nearly ice cold.) Rinse and dry the cleaned fish well. Spread a small amount of the dill butter on the inside of half of the fillets, then top with another fillet to create a sandwich; sprinkle these with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 2

Put the remaining butter, along with the olive oil, in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Dip each sandwich in the egg, then dredge in the bread crumbs; when the butter melts, add the sandwiches to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, a total of less than 5 minutes. Adjust the heat so that the fat is bubbling but not burning. Serve hot or at room temperature, with the lemon wedges.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.