Dill Sandwich Butter

Dill sandwich butter is the simplest compound butter you’ll ever make and one of the most useful. Three ingredients, five minutes, infinite uses. A quarter pound of softened unsalted butter gets folded with a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh dill and a pinch of salt. That’s the entire recipe.

Use fresh dill, not dried. Dried dill works in soups and pickles, but in a butter spread it stays gritty and tastes like sawdust against the rich butter. Fresh dill releases its oils into the soft butter and perfumes the whole spread with that bright grassy-anise flavor that defines the herb.

Let the butter come fully to room temperature before mixing. Cold butter resists folding and you’ll end up with green flecks studded through pale lumps instead of an evenly tinted, uniformly flavored spread. Room temperature blends in seconds with a fork.

Unsalted butter is the right choice. Salted butters carry inconsistent salt levels brand to brand, and you want control. Add a pinch of fine sea salt at the end and adjust to your taste, especially if you’ll be putting this on smoked salmon (which is salty already) or hot toast (which needs salt to wake up).

This butter shines on cucumber tea sandwiches, alongside smoked salmon and bagels, dolloped on hot baked potatoes, or melted over grilled fish. Make a big batch and roll it into a log in plastic wrap to slice off coins as needed.

Pro Tips

• Chop the dill very fine. Big sprigs make the spread look messy and don’t distribute flavor as well.
• Mix in a small bowl with a fork, not a mixer. The fork lets you fold without whipping air into the butter.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to let the flavors meld and the butter firm up enough to hold a shape.
• Bring back to room temperature before spreading. Cold dill butter tears bread.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest for a citrus-and-herb butter perfect on fish.
• Stir in 1 minced garlic clove for a dill-garlic butter that turns shrimp scampi up a notch.
• Mix with 2 tablespoons of soft cream cheese for a richer, more spreadable bagel topping.