Fish Recipes from Norway

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

From Recipes From All Nations by Countess Morphy, 1923.

Sildesalat (Herring salad)

There is very little difference between the various herring salads which are so popular in Norway, Sweden, Russia and Germany, either served as hors-d’oeuvre, or as a salad course. The difference would seem to be more in the way these salads are dressed than in the actual ingredients.

In Norway, herring salad is made as follows; Soak 10 salt herrings in cold water for 5 to 6 hours. Remove from the water and dry the fish. Take the same weight of cooked veal, the same of potatoes, beetroot and apples and 2 small pickled cucumbers. Cut all the ingredients in small cubes and put in the salad bowl.

Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar with 2 of oil, a little sugar, 1 wineglass of claret, and the juice from the beetroot. Pour this dressing over the salad and let stand for 12 hours. Before serving, cover with a sauce made with 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 of vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper. The oil and vinegar are put in a small saucepan, which is stood in a larger one, in boiling water. The oil and vinegar are stirred till the mixture becomes quite thick. Garnish the salad with hard-boiled egg and beetroot.

Sur Sild (Sour herring)

This is another favourite Norwegian hors-d’oeuvre. Put 3 large salt herrings in cold water and soak for 12 hours. Dry the fish, skin and bone them, and cut into inch lengths. Put a layer of the fish in a glass dish, cover with a layer of sliced onions, and put alternate layers of fish and onions till the dish is full.

Cover with ⅔ of vinegar to ⅓ of water, and stand in a cool place for 12 hours or even longer. For serving, remove the fish from the vinegar, and garnish with a little sliced onion. Fish thus prepared will keep for several weeks.

Røkelax (Smoked salmon)

This, of course, is a very typical Norwegian hors-d’oeuvre. Salmon fishing is one of the great sports of Norway and it is customary to prepare your salmon in a certain way before having it smoked.

There are various ways of doing this, and some families have their own method. The salmon is carefully filleted, starting from the head, and cutting ⅔ downwards towards the tail. The fillets, skin side downwards, are then laid on a large wooden tray or platter, freely sprinkled with salt.

The fillets are also freely sprinkled with more salt and then covered with sugar, which should be well moistened with brandy. Let the fish stand like this for 2 or 3 hours. Then cover with more salt and stand for 2 to 2 ½ days, according to the size of the fish. It is lastly sent to be lightly smoked.

Fiskesuppe (Fish soup)

This very plain fish soup is most popular in Norway. It is generally made with coal-fish, which is very abundant in the waters around Norway. This fish, which is sometimes called green cod or black pollock, has a wide range, nearly coinciding with that of cod, although it is occasionally found in the Mediterranean.

For 6 people, take 5 lbs. of small coal-fish, about 10 to 15 inches in length, clean thoroughly, and cut into large pieces. Put them in a saucepan with 2½ quarts of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for to 5 hours.

Strain the stock, thicken with a white roux, made with i tablespoon of butter and i of flour, and flavour with Marsala wine.

This same soup is sometimes served as a brown soup, by browning the flour and butter which are added to it. It is then seasoned with cayenne pepper, and less wine is added.

Røkelax I Vand Sas (Smoked salmon in water sauce)

Take 3 lbs. of fresh salmon, cut from the thick middle part, and fillet it. Wash the fish with a damp cloth, lay it on a dish, cover it with salt and sugar and stand in a cold place for 24 hours. Carefully remove all the salt from the fish and send it to be lightly smoked.

Cut the smoked salmon in rather thick slices, dip lightly in flour, put it in an earthenware casserole, cover with cold water, add a few pieces of butter, and sprinkle very freely with parsley. Bring to the boil and simmer slowly till the fish is tender.

Remove the fish from the casserole, and let the sauce reduce till it begins to thicken. Season with salt and a little sugar, put the fish back in the casserole and serve,

Fiskefarce (Fish forcemeat)

This popular fish forcemeat can be put to many uses. It can be used for making fish balls, which are poached in water, or for making fish pudding. It is sometimes served in small individual china or earthenware dishes, for dinner parties, when it is cooked in the oven for 20 minutes and decorated with a slice of truffle to give this homely dish a “partylike” appearance. Its plainness is also disguised by a rich white wine sauce, highly flavoured with chopped truffles and mushrooms.

For 6 people the forcemeat is made with 3½ lbs. of very fresh haddock. The fish is skinned and boned, and pounded in a mortar with 1 tablespoon of potato flour, 1 of wheat flour, 1 level tablespoon of salt, ½ a teaspoon of pepper and ¼ lb. of butter. It should be pounded for 20 minutes to a perfectly smooth and well blended paste. Three pints of milk are now added to the paste very gradually and carefully—2 tablespoons at a time at the start. On this gradual adding of the milk depends the successful making of Fiskefarce. The mixture can then be used in the various ways already described.

Rakørret-Raketrout (Trout)

The friend who kindly sent me from Norway this recipe of a popular Norwegian dish wrote in brackets at the end: “A mans dish.’’ She dislikes it intensely, while to her husband, who is a keen sportsman and fisherman, it is a great relish. The one subject of dissension between an otherwise united couple!

Although in England many of us have a taste for high game, high fish is, to say the least, not exactly popular. It finds favour, however, with many other peoples besides the Norwegians, to whom our delicious ‘‘jumping” Blue Dorset Cheese or our ripe Stilton might be as repulsive as the “stinking fish” of Erasmus is to us. Perhaps it is not as bad as it sounds.

Trout are used for this particular dish. They are cleaned, but should not be washed, and freed of all blood. Salt is put inside the fish, which are packed in a wide-mouthed jar with a little sugar and a handful of salt. A few pieces of wood are put over the jar with a heavy weight over them. More fish can be added to the same jar after one week. It is generally used after 2 months.

“The fish must not be too salt, on the other hand it must not smell”—says the sender of the recipe. In other words, it must be à point, and only connoisseurs can judge by their sense of smell whether it has attained the right degree of maturity. It is served cold with Norwegian Flatbrød (flat bread) and butter, or sometimes with hot boiled potatoes.

Plukfisk (Minced fish)

This consists of a plateful of cooked potatoes and a plateful of boiled fish, both finely chopped and mixed, and cooked for a few minutes in a sauce made by melting 2½ ozs. of butter in a saucepan, adding 2 oz. of flour and, when worked to a smooth paste, without browning, adding gradually ¾ pint of hot milk and seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Morphy, Countess. Recipes of All Nations. Herbert Joseph Limited. 1923.

Countess Morphy

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