History

Stegt flæsk traces to 17th-century Danish farmhouses, where pork belly was the everyday cured-and-fried staple for evening dinner. The dish moved into restaurant menus in the 1880s, especially at smørrebrød-adjacent rooms like Restaurant Sankt Annæ. Today most lunch counters serve a single-piece version on rye for under DKK 145; the canonical full plate sits at Schønnemann and Aamanns 1921.

Common allergens: Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 800g pork belly, sliced into 5mm pieces (ask the butcher to slice)
  • Sea salt, black pepper
  • 800g small new potatoes, scrubbed
  • For the parsley sauce: 60g butter, 60g plain flour, 600ml whole milk, large handful flat-leaf parsley finely chopped, salt and white pepper, freshly grated nutmeg

Method

  1. Boil the new potatoes in salted water for 18 to 22 minutes until tender; drain and keep warm.
  2. Heat a large heavy frying pan dry over medium-high. Season the pork belly slices with salt and pepper.
  3. Fry the pork belly in a single layer, 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deep brown, the fat rendered and the edges crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
  4. For the sauce: melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute. Pour in milk slowly, whisking, until smooth and thick (6 to 8 minutes).
  5. Stir in the chopped parsley off the heat, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
  6. Plate the pork belly with the potatoes and pour the sauce over the potatoes generously.

Tip from the editors. The pork belly must crisp at the edges; if it steams instead, the pan is too cool or too crowded. Cook in batches.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat stegt flæsk med persillesovs

Stegt flæsk med persillesovs in Copenhagen

Schønnemann ★ 4.8

Smørrebrød$$$indre-by

Schønnemann on Hauser Plads in Copenhagen has served smørrebrød since 1877, with house-baked rye, a 140-bottle snaps cabinet and lunch-only service.

Signature: Marinated herring, Stegt flæsk smørrebrød, Karrysild

Order: Marinated herring with raw onion, capers and rye, plus a glass of cold akvavit.

Tip: Lunch only, closed Sunday and books a week ahead. Walk in at 14:30 for the best chance of a counter seat.

Hauser Plads 16, 1127 København K Book →

Aamanns 1921 ★ 4.6

Smørrebrød$$$indre-by

Aamanns 1921 on Niels Hemmingsens Gade in Copenhagen serves Adam Aamann's modern smørrebrød at lunch and a Nordic dinner menu, with a silver organic dining label.

Signature: Roasted pork smørrebrød, Smoked salmon, Frikadeller

Order: The four-piece smørrebrød lunch with a glass of snaps and a beer chaser.

Tip: Open seven days for lunch and dinner; book dinner on the website.

Niels Hemmingsens Gade 19-21, 1153 København K Book →

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