As an island, Iceland naturally relies on the sea that surrounds it, and the
economy is more or less based on fishing and fish processing. Traditionally,
fish is either cooked and eaten fresh, or preserved by salting (söltun),
drying (þurrkun), smoking (reyking), or partly drying (siginn fiskur). Skate
(skata and tindabykkja) and shark (hákarl) are allowed to partly putrefy
(kæsing).
The most common fish caught off Iceland's shores is cod (þorskur), which is
mostly exported. The majority of Icelanders prefer to eat haddock (ýsa). My
own favourite is halibut (lúða, heilagfiski). The traditional way of serving
fish, whether fresh or preserved, is as "soðning": plain, boiled fish,
served with potatoes and sometimes with melted sheep's tallow. Cod roe and
liver are considered a delicacy by many. These are seasonal treats, and so
is the fatty flesh of the male lumpfish (rauðmagi). Other common species
include carpelin (loðna - mostly processed into fish-meal), herring (síld),
saithe (ufsi), ocean perch (karfi), plaice (skarkoli) and ocean
catfish/wolf-fish (steinbítur), to name a few. Mackerel (makríll) and tuna
(túnfiskur) fishing has recently begun. Angler (skötuselur) and dogfish
(háfur) also find their way into the trawls and nets of Icelandic fishermen,
along with some more exotic species like moonfish (guðlax). Crustaceans
include arctic lobster (humar), arctic shrimp (rækja) and many species of
crabs. Only the lobster and shrimp are caught commercially. Many types of
shellfish are found - the only widely caught species is the scallop
(hörpuskel) - but there is also some clam (kúskel) fishing.
Skate and shark are mostly eaten on special occasions. Salted and putrefied
skate - the smellier, the better - is a popular meal on the feast of St.
Þorlákur on December 23rd . Shark is a typical "gross-out food", offered to
unsuspecting foreign visitors along with a shot of "Brennivín" schnapps. It
is traditionally eaten at Þorrablót feasts, cut into very small pieces,
although some people keep it in the house and eat some every day.
Freshwater fish also provide a part of the diet of many Icelanders. Arctic
char (bleikja), trout (silungur, urriði), and salmon (lax) are all
indigenous to Iceland, and so is eel (áll), but few (if any) people bother
to catch it. The most popular introduced species is rainbow trout
(regnbogasilungur).
Iceland is home to some of Europe's most famous salmon rivers. A testament
to the clean environment of the country is the fact that a good salmon river
runs through the capital, Reykjavík.
Fiskrönd - Fish loafNew in April: Steiktur fiskur í raspi - Crumbed fish
Fiskibollur - Icelandic fish ballsSíldarsalat - Herring salad
Síld í kryddlegi - Marinated herring Plokkfiskur - Leftover fish in white
sauce
Lúðubuff - Fried halibut Kjarnorkufiskur - Nuked fish
Grafinn Lax - Gravlax Graflaxsósa - Mustard-dill sauce for Gravlax
Pepperoni ýsa - Haddock in pepperoni sauce Ofnsteiktur fiskur – Fish
casserole
Fiskisúpa - Fish soup Fiskilummur - fried fish-pancakes
How to make "rotten" shark
New in April: Steiktur fiskur í raspi - Crumbed fish
This is an old family favourite.
2 kg. fish* – skin and bones removed
3/4 cup. breadcrumbs**
1 ea.egg or egg white
250 gr. margarine/butter
1 tsp.salt
1 tsp.fish spice mix***
dashpepper
1/2 a medium onion, sliced
a splash milk (optional)
* Sole, flounder, cod, haddock or other white fish.
** I generally use Paxo, but homemade crumbs are also good.
*** use your favourite blend, or substitute with Season-All.
Break the egg and beat to break the yolk, add a splash of milk (if using)
and mix well. Mix salt and spice with breadcrumbs. Cut the fish into pieces,
across the fillet. Width of pieces can range from 2 1/2 to 5 cm (1-2 inches)
depending on taste. (Just make the pieces uniform in size.)
Set up your workplace: first, a plate with fish pieces, then a bowl with
beaten egg, then a bowl with breadcrumbs, then the heated frying pan on the
stove.
Melt half the margarine/butter (or use equivalent in cooking oil) on a
medium hot frying pan. When the margarine stops frothing, add the onion
slices to the pan and fry until it begins to brown. Remove from the pan, and
add the rest of the margarine.
Now you can start frying the fish: Coat a piece of fish in egg, roll to
cover in breadcrumbs, and put on the pan to fry. Continue until all the fish
is on the pan. Turn when the underside of the pieces begins to brown, and
fry on other side until golden brown.
Arrange the fish pieces on a serving plate, quickly heat the onions through
on the pan, and pour onions and the remainder of the frying fat over the
fish. If you want the fish to be less greasy, you can serve the onions and
fat on the side.
Serve with lemon wedges, a fresh salad and cooked potatoes.
This salad is also good with crumbed fish:
2 med. Tomatoes
½ cucumber
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into 1/2 cm thick slices, then cut slices into
narrow strips. Put in a bowl with the mayonnaise and stir to coat the
vegetables.
Fisklummur - Fish-pancakes
My mother sometimes deliberately cooks more fish than is necessary for one
meal, and uses the left-over fish and potatoes to make these pancakes. They
are popular with the whole family, and an excellent way of both using up
leftovers, and getting finicky eaters to eat fish.
This is really more of a guideline than a recipe. It recipe will yield
enough pancakes for 2 people.
Take leftover cooked fish pieces (preferably plain boiled fish, about 1/2 a
fillet), remove any bones and flake with a fork. Put in a bowl with finely
chopped, cooked potatoes (2-3 small ones); one small, finely chopped onion;
and garlic to taste. Stir in some flour (approx. 3 Tbsp. in a recipe for
two), and 1 Tbsp. potato starch. Flavour with salt, plus your favourite
fish-spice (I use flavour enhancer (Aromat), and Season-all). Add one beaten
egg. Thin to the desired consistency with milk (should be like thin
porridge). Fry on a medium hot skillet until golden, and serve with potatoes
and melted butter, and tomato wedges on the side.
Síld í kryddlegi - Marinated herring
This marinated herring is a family favourite, although I must admit that we
prefer to buy it ready made rather than make it from scratch.
3 ea. salted herrings 200 ml. white vinegar
1 medium onion 200 ml water
6 ea. black peppercorns 100 ml sugar
1 ea. laurel leaf, broken into pieces
First, the salt herring must be de-salted: Wash the fish under cold, running
water. Soak in plenty of cold water for 24 hours, changing the water every
few hours. Fillet and soak in cold water for 1-2 hours.
Cut each fillet diagonally across, into finger-wide pieces, OR roll up,
beginning at the tail end. Slice the onion. Put the herring into a
sterilized jar, layering with onion slices and spices. Stir together vinegar
water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Pour over herring until covered.
Close the jar, and give the herring a few days to marinate properly.
Serving suggestions:
-serve with hot, cooked potatoes and rye bread
-arrange on a slice of rye or pumpernickel bread with slices of sweet apple,
banana and hard boiled egg. Serve with or without this sweet curry sauce:
Mix some mayonnaise with half as much sour cream. Add some honey to make it
slightly sweet (don't use too much, or the sauce will be too sweet). Add
some mild or medium hot curry powder to taste. The sauce should be creamy
and smooth, with a definite curry taste and a hint of honey. Pour over the
fish and fruit on the bread and top with slices of hard-boiled egg.
-cut the fish, egg and fruit into small pieces and mix into the sauce. Serve
as a salad.
-You can also make herring salad.
Plokkfiskur - Leftover fish in white sauce
There are jokes about this food - it can be either a delicacy or a disaster.
During the "good" old days, when (in some homes) fish was served - ad
nauseam - five days a week, this was the standard way of using up leftovers.
If you didn't finish the fish at lunch, this was what you could expect to be
served for dinner. I sometimes get it at my grandmother's, who rarely throws
away leftovers.
ca. 700 gr. cooked fish ca. 500 gr. cooked potatoes
50 gr. margarine/butter 50 gr. flour
750 ml. milk 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
Any kind of cooked fish can be used, but to make this authentic, use cod,
salt cod, haddock, or halibut.
Remove all skin and bones from the fish and flake with a fork. Cut the
potatoes into small pieces.
Make white sauce: Melt the margarine/butter over medium heat. Stir the flour
into it, until smooth and thick. Continue stirring and add a small amount of
milk. When the mixture boils, add more milk. Repeat this process until all
the milk is used up. When the sauce is done, add the fish and potatoes and
warm through.
-add some onion to get more flavour. Chop it finely and cook along with the
sauce.
Lúðubuff - Fried halibut steaks
Here's one way to prepare my favourite fish.
1 1/2 kg. halibut (or turbot, sole or other flat fish)4 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. salt 1/3 tsp. ground pepper
150 gr. oil, butter or margarine 100 gr. onion
Take one small, whole halibut. Cut off the head, tail and fins. Scrape off
the slime and loose scales under cold, running water. Cut the fish into
slices, about as thick as your thumb is wide. Mix together flour, salt and
pepper. Coat the slices with flour mixture and fry in the hot fat until done
(3-4 minutes on each side). Remove from the pan and arrange the steaks on a
serving dish. Slice the onions and brown in the fat, remove and put on top
of the fish. Pour some water on the frying pan, roll it around and pour over
the fish. Serve with cooked potatoes, green salad and lemon wedges.
-Try grilling the fish steaks: cut into large cubes and thread onto skewers
with onion pieces, fresh mushrooms and pieces of red bell pepper.
Kjarnorkufiskur - Nuked fish
My grandmother was the first in the family to buy a microwave oven, and uses
it a lot. This is her recipe for a quick fish gratin with vegetables:
Take 1 fish fillet, preferably haddock or cod - but any firm, white fish
will do. Skin and cut into pieces. Take some raw potatoes, carrots, a small
rutabaga and some cauliflower. Slice carrots, cut cauliflower into small
florets and chop rutabaga and potatoes into bite-size pieces. Layer into a
microwave-safe casserole dish. Break a couple of eggs into a bowl, add some
milk and spices (salt, pepper, and fish-spice mix). Mix well. Pour egg
mixture over the fish and veggies. Top with grated cheese. Microwave on High
until the vegetables are tender and the egg mixture is cooked.
Grafinn lax/silungur - Pickled salmon/trout (Gravlax or lox)
The Norwegians and/or Swedes invented the Gravlax, and it is a national dish
in both countries. This pickled salmon is an excellent entrée and has in
recent years become a necessary part of any cold buffet in Iceland. It is
almost always served in the same way: thin slices on toast with mustard-dill
sauce.
I'm including two gravlax recipes here, one with MSG and another one without
it. I'm also including two recipes for mustard-dill sauce, one simple, the
other not so simple. The pickle mix is just as good when used with trout.
The following pickle is enough for two medium salmon fillets (from a 3-4 kg.
fish).
4 Tbsp. fine salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. fennel
1 tsp. MSG
3 Tbsp. dill weed (fresh)
Mix all ingredients together. Apply an even layer of the mix on the fish.
Wrap each fillet in plastic wrap and then in kitchen foil, skin down. Leave
in the refrigerator for 4 days. Remove the gravlax from the packaging and
gently scrape off the spice mix. Cut the fish into very thin diagonal slices
across the fillet, and serve on toast with mustard sauce.
You can use the spices from the fish to make the sauce, but I would only do
so if it will be eaten right away. If you need to store the sauce for more
than a few hours, use fresh dill.
The second recipe:
This spice mix is good for two 400 g. fillets of salmon.
6 Tbsp. coarse salt
4 Tbsp. sugar
24 ea. black peppercorns, ground enough dill weed to cover the fish
Mix up a batch of the pickle mix (don't mix in the dill), and divide in half
Cover the bottom of a serving dish or other container with dill. Lay a
salmon fillet on top, skin down, and cover with one batch of the pickle mix.
Put the other half on the other fillet. Cover the first fillet with dill
weed and lay the other fillet on top, skin up, head end to tail end. Cover
and weigh down, for example with a heavy cutting board. Keep in the
refrigerator for about 48 hours, turning every 12 hours or so. When ready,
gently scrape off the pickle mix and pat dry. It will keep for a few days in
the refrigerator, or a couple of months in the freezer. Serve as above.
Graflaxsósa - Mustard-dill sauce for Gravlax
This sauce is also good with marinated herring.
Recipe 1 (simple gravlax sauce):
250 gr. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. dill
to taste salt to taste ground pepper
Mix mayonnaise, mustard and honey. Add dill, salt and pepper, or pickle mix
from the gravlax. If using dried dill, allow the sauce to stand for at least
10 minutes before serving.
Recipe 2 (Deluxe gravlax sauce):
2 Tbsp. sweet mustard
1 Tbsp. Hot (Dijon) mustard
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 ea. egg yolk (optional - makes the sauce smoother) to taste salt and white
pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil to taste (use plenty) fresh dill, chopped
Mix together mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and egg yolk (if using).
Add the oil slowly, while beating constantly. Continue until the sauce is
creamy and smooth. Add the dill.
-if you don't like dill, leave it out of the sauce, and scrape it off the
fish before eating.
Serving suggestions for Gravlax:
-Serve the traditional way: top some toast OR rye/pumpernickel bread with
thin slices of gravlax and pour or spread the sauce on top.
-serve it New York-style: spread cream cheese on a fresh bagel and top with
gravlax. In New York (and probably other places in the U.S.A), gravlax is
called lox.
-At a website I visited (sorry, can't remember which), it was suggested that
gravlax be eaten on thin slices of black bread, with lemon and pickled
cucumber salad on the side, in addition to the sauce.
-Another site suggested serving it with asparagus: Arrange the gravlax on a
slice of toast and top with spears of asparagus.
Fiskibollur - Traditional Icelandic fish balls
Fish balls are one of the many ways in which Icelanders like to cook fish,
and the recipes are numerous. When I was little I loved to eat fish-balls in
pink sauce (see recipe below), mostly because of the colour of the sauce!
1 large fillet white fish (cod, haddock or saithe are traditional), skinned
and de-boned
1 medium onion
150 ml.flour
50 ml.potato flour
1 1/2 tsp.salt
2 eggs as needed milk
Finely chop or grind the fish fillet and onion. Mix together in a bowl (or
just throw both ingredients into a food processor and let it do the work).
Add the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add the eggs and then the milk (the
fish-dough should be just thick enough to stick together when you form it
into balls). Form small balls with two tablespoons or use your hands. Fry in
oil or butter over low heat, until done. Serve with fresh salad and boiled
potatoes. Ketchup also goes well with fish-balls.
-If you must have some sauce on your fish-balls, serve with melted butter,
brown gravy or cocktail sauce, or make pink sauce.
These are two ways to make pink sauce:
-1. Make basic white sauce and add ketchup until it turns pink. Serve with
fish-balls.
-2. When the fish balls are just about done, add 250 ml. water to the pan.
Take 1 1/2 tblsp. flour and 100 ml. water or milk and mix into a smooth
paste. When the water on the frying pan boils, add the flour paste. Add 1
tsp. fish stock powder and 50 ml. ketchup or tomato sauce. Cook for 5
minutes.
Fiskrönd – Baked fish loaf
This recipe uses the same basic fish dough that is given in the above recipe
for fish balls.
Press 400 gr. fish dough into a loaf pan (fill the pan no more that 3/4).
Cover with aluminium foil to avoid burning. Pour boiling water into a
roasting pan (or usa a Bain Marie) and add the loaf pan with the fish dough.
Cook in a 180°C oven for 40-50 minutes, making sure that the roasting pan is
always at least half full. When ready, remove from the loaf pan. Serve
upside down, decorated with sliced lemon, cooked shrimp, tomatoes and salad
leaves.
Serve with white sauce, melted butter, caper sauce, shrimp sauce, asparagus
sauce, or sauce Hollandaise.
Síldarsalat - Herring salad
This herring salad is a fresh and unusual addition to a brunch meal or cold
buffet.
1 ea.apple (Red Delicious or other sweet variety)5-6 slices pickled red beet
2-3 fillets marinated or spice pickled herring1/2 - 2/3 cup mayonnaise
Take about half a cup of mayonnaise and stir well to prevent it from lumping
Cut the herring into small slices and the apple and beet into small cubes.
Add to the mayonnaise and mix well. The salad should be a rose-pink colour -
if not, add some of the juice from the beets.
-serve with rye bread or crackers. Top with slices of hard boiled egg
(optional).
-replace half the mayonnaise with sour cream for a healthier salad.
-You can also make herring salad.
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Fried Crullers (Kleinur)
4 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. hartshorn salt (Ammonium Carbonate)
2 tsp. Cardamom
1/2 cup margarine
4 1/2 tblsp. sugar
7 tblsp. milk
1 egg
Mix together flour, baking powder, hartshorn salt and cardamom. Add the
margarine, sugar, egg and the milk. Work up into dough. Roll out the dough
to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide and about 3
inch long in a slantwise direction, using a pastry wheel and ruler. Make a
slit in the center of each cruller and pull one pointed end through. Lower
the crullers, one at a time, into hot fat and fry them until golden brown.
(Deep fat frying). Lift them out and let them drain on a paper-towel. Eat
them hot or cold.
Vienna Cake Dough (Vinarterta hnoðuð)
5 1/3 cups flour (750 gr.)
1 2/5 cup sugar (325 gr.)
2 1/2 cup margarine (500 gr.)
3 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
Chop together fat and flour, add the sugar and eggs. Work up into dough.
Divide the dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion out onto a buttered
baking sheet. Bake in hot oven 200 cup (400 F) 20 min. Sandwich the cake
together with jam.
Christmas Cake (J¢lakaka)
1 cup margarine (200 gr.)
8 Tbsp. sugar (200 gr.)
2-3 eggs
4 cups flour (450 gr.)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cardamom powder
2 dl. milk
3 Tbsp. raisins
Cream the fat and sugar until light and foamy. Add the eggs, one at a time
and proceed with the creaming. Mix the flour, cardamom and baking powder and
fold into the mixture together with the milk. Add the raisins. Pour the
batter into a greased tin. Cover lightly with waxed paper, bake at 175øC
(300 øF) for one hour. Remove paper, continue baking for another 30 min.
until done.
Icelandic Pancakes with Whipped Cream
3 cups flour
4 eggs
3 Tbsp. butter (melted)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla essence
2 1/2 - 3 cups milk
Beat together all ingredients and mix in the stiff beaten egg whites lastly.
Bake paper thin on a hot cast iron griddle. Spread with preserves, jam or
jelly, one tablespoon whipped cream. Fold into triangles. Serve with
afternoon coffee or as dessert. Traditional.
Baked Halibut (Steiktar Heilagfiski)
Categories: Icelandic, Fish
Yield: 4 servings
1 Slice halibut, 1 1/2 to 2 -inches thick
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
3 Tbsp Melted butter
1 cup Canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 Medium onion
1/2 cup Heavy cream
Rinse halibut and dry on paper towels. Remove skin. Place in a
buttered baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush with
remaining melted butter. Crush tomatoes, add sugar, and spread over
fish. Cover with thinly sliced onion and bake for 20 minutes in a
hot oven (400F). Pour cream over fish and bake an additional 10
minutes.
Whole Salmon with Apples and Beets
Categories: Icelandic, Fish
Yield: 8 servings
1 5 to 6-pound salmon
3 Tbsp Salt
4 Tbsp Butter
3 cup Boiling water
1 cup Raw or cooked apples, chopped
1 cup Cooked chopped beets
Celery
Lemon quarters
Clean the fish, but do not remove head or tail. Remove viscera and
clean fish well. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for a few minutes.
Melt butter in a large kettle or deep frying pan and brown the fish
on all sides. Pour the boiling water over the fish, and simmer until
tender. Place the whole fish on a serving platter. Keep hot. Cook
beets until softened (or use canned). Peel or chop or cube. Mix 1 T
water, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, and pour over beets. Let stand for
1/2 hour or longer. Drain. Or mix beets with a little sour milk or
sour cream. Chop or cube raw or cooked apples. Place small mounds
of apples and beets around fish. Between mounds, place lemon
quarters and celery.
(from THE COMPLETE SCANDINAVIAN COOKBOOK, Alice B. Johnson)
Title: Cooked Herring with Lemon Sauce and Potato Ring
Categories: Icelandic, Fish
Yield: 6 servings
2 lb Herring
Water
Salt
MMMMM------------------------POTATO RING-----------------------------
1 1/2 lb Potatoes
1 Grated or chopped onion
2 Slices white bread
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Butter
Salt and pepper to taste
MMMMM------------------------LEMON SAUCE-----------------------------
2 Tbsp Butter or margarine
2 Tbsp Flour
2 cup Fish broth
2 Egg yolks
1/2 tsp Salt (if fish broth is not
-sufficiently salted)
Juice of 1 lemon
Peel potatoes and cook until soft. Drain and mash or rice the
potatoes. Cover bread with milk and let stand for a few minutes. Mix
together the potatoes, grated onion, bread, and milk. Season with
salt and pepper. Add melted butter and beaten egg yolks. Beat egg
whites stiff and fold in. Butter a ring mold and sprinkle with bread
crumbs. Put potato mixture into mold and bake in a moderate oven
(375F) until nicely browned.
Turn out on serving platter. While potato ring is baking, clean,
bone, rinse and fillet herring. (Frozen herring fillets may be
used.) Cut fillets in pieces and cook in boiling salted water only
until tender. Carefully remove and drain herring and place in center
of potato ring. Pour lemon sauce over herring and serve.
For lemon sauce: Melt butter or margarine and add flour. Stir until
well blended. Add fish broth slowly, stirring constantly. Beat egg
yolks and add salt. Add to sauce, a little at a time, stirring
briskly. Do not boil after eggs are added. Add strained lemon juice.
(from THE COMPLETE SCANDINAVIAN COOKBOOK, Alice B. Johnson)
Title: Sild meth Surum Rjoma og Graslauk (Herring in sour cream)
Categories: Icelandic, Fish, Dairy
Yield: 4 servings
4 Fillets of salted or spiced-herring (saltsild or-kryddsild)
2 dl Sour cream or skyr
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Chopped chives
Desalt or drain the herring filets, depending on which kind you are
using.
Cut them across into fairly thin slices.
Beat the sour cream or skyr and season it with the vinegar and sugar
(of which you may use more or less according to taste). Add the
chopped chives.
Arrange the herring slices in a dish, so they are not touching each
other.
Pour the sour cream mixture over them and wait for 3-4 hours before
serving the dish. It can be used as part of a cold buffet, or served
as a main dish with hot boiled potatoes.
(from NORTH ATLANTIC SEAFOOD, Alan Davidson: this recipe translated
from an Icelandic cookbook of Helga Sigurthardottir)