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Loading...A traditional Swedish blood pudding made with pork blood, rye, and warming spices, pan-fried until crisp and served with sweet-tart lingonberry jam and salty bacon. It has a deep, earthy flavor and a custardy interior that contrasts beautifully with the caramelized crust.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time50 mins
Total Time70 mins
Servings6
Yield6 servings
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 385 kcalCalories
- 22 gFat
- 8 gSaturated Fat
- 28 gCarbs
- 2 gFiber
- 14 gSugar
- 18 gProtein
- 780 mgSodium
- 310 mgPotassium
- 90 mgCalcium
- 9 mgIron
- 4 mgVitamin C
- 85 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 500 ml fresh or thawed pork blood
- 200 ml whole milk
- 100 g finely diced pork back fat
- 75 g rye flour
- 30 g plain wheat flour
- 1 small yellow onion, finely minced
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the pan and serving
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp rendered pork fat or neutral oil
- 12 slices thick-cut streaky bacon
- 150 g lingonberry jam
- Freshly chopped chives for garnish
Directions
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, render the diced pork back fat slowly until translucent and golden at the edges, about 6-8 minutes. Add the minced onion and sweat until soft but not browned, about 4 minutes, then remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the pork blood with the milk until smooth. Sift in the rye flour and wheat flour, then whisk vigorously to break up any lumps.
- Stir in the cooked onion with its fat, the allspice, cloves, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mix until the batter is completely homogeneous and slightly thickened, about 1 minute of stirring.
- Lightly grease a loaf pan or six individual ramekins with butter. Pour the batter in, cover tightly with foil, and place in a deep roasting pan. Pour hot water around the pan halfway up the sides to create a bain-marie.
- Bake in a preheated 160°C (320°F) oven for 45-55 minutes, until the pudding is just set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The center should still have a faint quiver.
- Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so the pudding firms up enough to slice cleanly.
- When ready to serve, melt the butter with the pork fat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the chilled pudding into 1.5 cm thick pieces and fry in batches for 2-3 minutes per side until deeply browned and crisp at the edges.
- While the pudding fries, cook the bacon in a separate skillet over medium heat until crisp and rendered, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
- Plate the fried blood pudding slices, drape two slices of bacon over each portion, and spoon a generous tablespoon of lingonberry jam alongside. Finish with a scatter of fresh chives and serve immediately.
Cook’s Notes
- Use only fresh or properly thawed pork blood from a trusted butcher; it must be handled cold and cooked through for food safety.
- The pudding improves dramatically after resting overnight, as the flavors meld and the texture sets for cleaner slicing.
- Traditional Swedish blodpudding is often served with brown butter drizzled over the top alongside the lingonberries for extra richness.
- If fresh blood is unavailable, reconstituted dried blood powder can be used, though the color and depth will be slightly less intense.
- Leftover slices are excellent cold on dark rye bread with a smear of butter and a dot of mustard, the classic Swedish smörgås preparation.
