Stjerneskud - Shooting Star

A stjerneskud is a sliced French bread sandwich filled with fried fish fillets with caviar, prawns, asparagus, lemon, and thousand island dressing. Enjoy it in traditional Danish fashion with a cold beer and schnapps at the finish. Ida Davidsen, a famous Danish chef who operates a smørrebrøds restaurant in the heart of Copenhagen, devised the shooting star. When cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin visited the capital in 1962, she was inspired to create the stjerneskud.
Ida Davidsen was besieged by media as she presented Gagarin with the rocket-shaped dish, and suddenly everyone had heard of stjerneskud. Since then, it has remained quite popular among Danes and is commonly offered as a lunch dish in numerous places.

Ingredients:4 servings

• 1/2 cup crème fraiche
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprikadash of cayenne pepper
• to taste sea salt & fresh pepper
• 8 plaice fillets
• 1/4 cup White Wine, 1/4 cup Water
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 6 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 3 tbsp Buttersea salt & fresh pepper
• 6 green asparagus
• 4 ounces small shrimp
• 3 ounces bleak roe (Kalix löjrom)
• 1 lemon fresh dill
• 12 thin slices of cucumber
• Lettuce

Instruction:
For the dressing:

1. Whisk together the crème fraîche, mayonnaise, and tomato puree. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until thoroughly blended. Set aside.

For the steamed fish fillets:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Pat four of the fish fillets dry with paper towels. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper, roll each fillet into a coil, and fasten with a toothpick. Place the fillets in a small oven-proof dish or sauté pan.
3. Pour the white wine and water over them. Place in the oven and steam the fish fillets for about 10 to 15 minutes.

For the fried fish fillets:

1. Combine bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Pat the remaining 4 fish fillets dry with a paper towel. Season each fillet with salt and pepper. One at a time, dip fillets first in beaten egg and then in bread crumb mixture, pressing down to adhere coating. Set aside.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons oil and 1½ tablespoon butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, place 2 fillets in skillet and cook until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the second side until the thickest part of the fillet easily separates into flakes when pierced with a paring knife, about 2 minutes. Transfer fillets to a heated platter. Wipeout the skillet and repeat with remaining oil, butter, and fish.

For the green asparagus:

1. Heat ½ tablespoon each of olive oil and butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add half of the asparagus to the skillet with tips pointed in one direction; add remaining spears with tips pointed in opposite direction. Using tongs distribute spears in an even layer. Cover and cook until asparagus is bright green and still crisp, about 3 minutes.
2. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high; season asparagus with salt and pepper. Cook until spears are tender and well browned along one side, about 3 minutes, using tongs to occasionally move spears from the center of pan to edge of pan to ensure all are browned.