Open prawn sandwich with fresh dill

Most open sandwiches lean on butter or mayonnaise to hold everything together. This one leans on cottage cheese, which is a quiet trick worth knowing. Stirred with a little chopped dill, it turns into a soft, slightly tangy spread that tastes richer than its ingredient list suggests, and it sits on toast without soaking into it the way a wet filling can. Cottage cheese is also a useful thing to keep in the fridge in general. It is mild, it comes in many fat levels, and it works well in place of cream cheese in dips, baked eggs and jacket potato toppings.

The brown sandwich thin does a good job here because it is sturdy and holds a generous spoonful without folding. If you only have sliced bread, a thick slice of seeded loaf or rye stands up to the topping just as well. Toast it lightly rather than hard. You want it crisp enough to crunch when you bite into it, but not so dry that the cucumber slides off.

A word on the prawns. Cooked and peeled king prawns are ready to eat, so this is really an assembly job, which is why it fits so well into a short lunch break. Pat them dry before you tuck them on. Any surface water will run into the cheese and make the bottom of the sandwich go soggy by the time you reach the last bite. Thin cucumber slices do the same job of cooling and freshening the whole thing, and their crunch is a nice contrast to the soft spread. Slice them as thin as you can manage, using a peeler or a sharp knife, so they lie flat.

Dill is a herb that loses its punch quickly once it has been cut, so keep the leftover sprig wrapped in a damp kitchen paper inside a bag in the fridge and use it within a day or two. If you have extra cottage cheese mixed with dill, it keeps for a couple of days in a sealed container and makes a fine spread for crackers or a dip for raw vegetables the next day.

For a light meal, serve this with a handful of rocket or a few cherry tomatoes on the side. If you want something heartier, a bowl of lentil soup or a boiled egg goes nicely alongside. A cup of plain sparkling water with a slice of lemon keeps the lunch feeling fresh.

If you enjoy this one, you might also try Creamy Dill Cucumber Rounds for a snack built on the same cool, herby flavours, or Tinned Salmon Spread with Lemon and Dill if you want another spreadable filling for toast. For a prawn dinner with more warmth, Prawn noodle stir fry with broccoli and lime is a good next step.