Icelandic cooking, recipes and food

150 gr cold cooked fish, preferably salmon or halibut, cut into small pieces Mayonnaise to taste 6 leaves of green salad 3 tomatoes 6 slices of lemon Lemon juice Mustard Add lemon juice and mustard to the mayonnaise, to taste. Wash the salad leaves and let them drain well, divide the fish pieces evenly onto the leaves and top with mayonnaise, 1/2 a tomato and a slice of lemon. From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir This is the last recipe from this book (for now, but I may return to it later).

I have already posted two recipes for using leftover fish: fish pancakes and the humble plokkfiskur , which is currently enjoying something of a renaissance. Here is one more leftover fish recipe, and two more will be posted soon. You will need: Enough cooked leftover fish and potatoes to serve four people, cut into bite-sized pieces Cooked vegetables, if desired 100 g butter or tallow Salt and pepper Chives or onions, chopped Heat the butter in a frying pan until it stops foaming. Gently fry the fish and potatoes and onions (if using) in the butter until heated through and slightly browned. Do not scramble the food around in the pan much – the fish pieces should be intact when served. Flavour with salt and pepper to taste, and if you’re using chives, sprinkle them over the dish before serving. From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir

There are two wild species of trout found in Iceland: the brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) and the arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus ). Additionally, rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) have been released into some lakes and rivers. The collective name in Icelandic is silungur , the char being called bleikja and the brown trout urriði . This is a nice brunch dish that can also be made with smoked herring. 1 large, whole smoked trout Butter 6 eggs Salt 6 tbs milk Butter De-bone and skin the trout and cut it into slices. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the fish in it. Scrambled eggs: Mix together the eggs, salt and milk until well blended. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring gently in circles until the mixture begins to thicken, then scramble the mixture back and forth until it is of the desired consistency. Arrange on a serving platter with the fried trout and serve. From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir

Halibut has a number of names in Icelandic, reflecting its importance as a food fish. They include flyðra , spraka , lúða and heilagfiski . The last name means “holy fish”, presumably because it was popular Fridays food during the Catholic era. Halibut grow to a gigantic size: the current record is around 330 kilos. One was recently caught off the coast of the West Fjords that weighed in at 219 kg. and was 248 cm. long. The flesh of these giants is rather coarse, but the flavor is delicious. 750 g halibut 1 tbs flour Salt and pepper 2-3 onions 100 g margarine 100 g butter 50 ml cream Fillet and skin the halibut. Cut into 2 cm thick slices. Mix together flour, salt and pepper. Slice the onions into rings. Brown the margarine in a frying pan and fry the onions in it until golden. Remove and set aside. Put the butter in the pan, keeping back a small amount, and brown the butter in the pan. Dredge the fish slices in the flour mixture and brown over high heat for about 10 mi

10 cod cheeks 1 egg white, beaten until it begins to froth slightly Bread crumbs with salt and pepper to taste 200 g butter or margarine Cut the cheeks away from the heads if needed. Clean well (scrape off the slime under cold running water) and pat dry. Dip the cheeks in the egg white and dredge in the breadcrumbs. Fry in the butter until golden brown. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and serve with hot, poached potatoes. May also be cooked in the oven. From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir