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"Sol Over Gudhjem" is the name of a very well-known Danish open-faced sandwich made from the famous Bornholm smoked herring, dark danish rye bread, radish, onions and chives and - yum - a raw egg yolk. The sandwich's name means sun over Gudhjem, and it is so named because of the bright yellow egg yolk glistening brightly atop the golden-hued herring filets. 

One of only a handful of open-faced sandwiches that are universally recognized by an official name, Sol Over Gudhjem is a pure Danish delight, packed with potent flavours which are fused together with the silky richness of the raw egg yolk. The perfect accompaniment to Sol Over Gudhjem is a cold lager beer, for instance a Tuborg or a Carlsberg. While there are other sandwiches that may be more common, for me few have the combination of flavours that evoke eating smørrebrød along the beach during the summer solstice somewhere in Denmark.

Smoke stacks of traditional Bornholm smokehouse

In Bornholm, they still smoke their herring in the old manner - first by curing the silvery fish with salt and sugar, and then by cold smoking them in white smokehouses with their distinctive white smoke stacks. You can smoke herring yourself if you can find it, but many fish markets will offer smoked fish. If you cannot find herring, mackerel and trout are suitable substitutes.

A note on eating raw egg yolk: Generally there is no problem with eating raw egg, but it is important to use the freshest eggs possible (for instance from an organic farm). If you have concerns about the freshness of the eggs, or if you are simply not into raw egg, you can always pasteurize the egg yolk by cooking it gently over a double boiler - just make sure that the heat is gentle and that you stir constantly until the egg thickens slightly and lightens in colour. In Denmark, you can conveniently buy individually pasteurized egg yolks in the supermarket - one of the many reasons that Danes are the happiest people on Earth.

Instructions for building your own Sol Over Gudhjem:

1. Place a smoke herring filet atop a generously buttered slice of dark Danish rye bread. Optionally, break the filet into pieces.
2. Place 2-3 red onion rings and a sliced up radish on the herring.
3. Spoon pasteurized egg yolk over top of the sandwich.
4. Using scissors, cut chives over the sandwich (keep cutting until you're happy).
5. Add freshly ground black pepper and enjoy with fork and knife. 

"Sol Over Gudhjem rocks."