Skilandis Sumuštinis
Recipes with Skilandis
The most direct way to eat skilandis: paper-thin slices on dark Lithuanian rye with raw garlic and a smear of butter. This is not a recipe so much as a habit, the thing Lithuanians reach for when the skilandis comes off the hook and the bread is fresh from the bakery. Two or three slices per piece of bread, nothing else competing.
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
0 min
Servings
2
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices dark Lithuanian rye bread (juoda duona)
- 80 g skilandis, sliced paper-thin (2–3 mm)
- 1 clove garlic, halved
- 20 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Flaky salt
- 4–5 fermented cucumber slices, to serve
Steps
Remove the skilandis from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Slice it as thin as possible, 2 to 3 millimetres, using a sharp long-bladed knife. Lay the slices on a board to come to room temperature.
Rub the cut surface of the garlic clove firmly across each slice of bread. The garlic should leave a faint sheen on the surface of the bread. One half-clove is enough for two slices.
Spread a thin layer of butter over the garlic-rubbed bread. The butter should be at room temperature so it spreads without tearing the bread.
Lay 3 to 4 thin slices of skilandis across each piece of bread, slightly overlapping. Add a pinch of flaky salt if the skilandis seems lightly seasoned. Serve with fermented cucumber slices alongside.
Tips
The bread matters more than people expect. A dense, slightly sour Lithuanian rye holds up under the weight of the meat and the moisture from the butter without going soft. Avoid supermarket rye sliced too thin. If you can find whole rye from a Lithuanian or Eastern European bakery, use it. The garlic step is optional but strongly traditional.