Icelandic cooking, recipes and food

I have had several requests for this dish, so I decided to post the recipe. Apparently it was a favourite with American servicemen stationed at Keflavik airport and some of them still remember it fondly. This isn't a specifically Icelandic dish, but you can buy it in many diners and restaurants all over the country. Fried fish Orly with cocktail sauce and salad Orly batter: 300 ml (10 fl.oz.) light lager or water 2 tbs sugar 1 tsp salt (the original recipe says 1 tbs, but this must be an error as it's way too much salt) 1 tbs cooking oil (the original recipe says 1 tsp, but this must also be an error - there needs to be more than 1 teaspoon of oil in the batter) 1 egg yolk flour 1 egg white Mix together the lager or water, sugar, salt oil and egg yolk and thicken with flour until the batter is the thickness of pancake batter. Let stand for 1 hour at room temperature. Whip the egg white stiff and fold into the batter just before you use it. May be used to coa...

Here is a third flatbread recipe. 500 g potatoes, cooked, peeled and cooled 250 g rye flour (or more, if needed) The amount of rye flour depends on how much moisture there is in the potatoes. Start with the given amount and add more if necessary. Mash the potatoes until smooth, or process in a food processor (take care not to over-process, or they may turn gummy). Knead the rye flour into the potatoes until you have a stiff, dense dough. Whole wheat flour may be mixed in with the rye flour. Roll out the dough into thin, round cakes. Dry-fry the cakes on a griddle or electric hotplate until browned with small burnt-looking spots. Links to the other recipes: Most commonly used recipe Luxury recipe

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

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

6-10 fresh herrings, heads removed, gutted and cleaned 2 tbs flour 2 tsp salt ½ tsp ground white pepper 100 g butter or margarine If the herrings are large, butterfly them, otherwise leave them whole. Heat a frying pan with the butter. Mix together flour, salt and pepper and dredge the herring in the mixture. Fry the herring in the pan until golden brown. Serve with cooked potatoes and white sauce with vegetables This recipe also works with mackerel. From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir

There is already one recipe for flatbread on this blog, but I came across another one that I thought would be interesting to post for comparison. The first recipe, which is the basic, traditional recipe, is just rye flour, salt and water, but this one is more elaborate, and would most likely have been made only in richer households, since it contains three types of flour, The use of a raising agent should also mean lighter bread. 200 g whole-wheat flour 200 g bread or all-purpose flour 200 g rye flour 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 450-500 ml milk Mix together all the dry ingredients. Bring the milk to the boil. Add the milk to the dry mix, stirring it in with a wooden spoon while it is too hot to touch and then knead it. When fully kneaded (smooth and even), divide into 10 pieces. Flatten and cut out into round pieces to fit the size of the skillet. Prick and bake on each side until the bread looks dry.

This recipe also works with mackerel and other fish of the herring family, just adjust the cooking times according to the size of the fish. Serves 2: 2-4 fresh, whole herrings (depending on size) 1 medium onion 40 g butter or margarine or equivalent in vegetable oil 3-4 tbs rye flour or wheat bran 1/2 – 3/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp ground white pepper 1/2 lemon Parsley for garnishing Clean the herrings (or get your fishmonger to do it): remove all innards and membranes from the body cavity, remove the spine and bones from the insides, cut off the tail and fins, scrape the slime from the skin. Remove the head if you would rather not have it on, but don‘t fillet the fish. Peel and slice the onion. Mix together the flour or bran and the salt and pepper. Melt and heat half the butter and fry the onion in it until slightly browned. Set aside. Put the remaining butter in the pan and heat. Roll the herrings in the flour mixture and put in the pan. Brown at medium-high temperature, lower the heat and...

You can use either rib cutlets or leg cutlets to make this dish. This was one of my favourite Sunday dishes when I was growing up, and remains a comfort food for me. The recipe works with pork or veal cutlets as well, but the traditional meat is lamb. 750 g of rib half-cutlets or leg cutlets of lamb 2 egg whites or 1 egg and 2 tbs milk 3 tbs bread crumbs (we generally use Paxo brand crumbs, but home-made or other brands are fine as long as they are unflavoured) 2 tsp salt 3/4 tsp pepper* 100 g butter or margarine 20 g butter 1-2 onions extra butter as needed 2-3 tbs water Traditionally, the cutlets are beaten with a meat mallet, but if you have nice, tender lamb, it really isn't necessary. Set up a mise-en-place: frying pan on the stove, dish with bread crumbs and spices, dish with egg, dish with cutlets. If using egg whites, whip them until they begin to froth. If using a whole egg, break and stir vigorously with the milk until slightly frothy. Mix together the bread crumbs and sa...

While technically they are everyday pastries, I think kleinur deserve to be included in the Christmas fare. I have added a second recipe for those who do not have access to hartshorn powder. In many homes in Iceland a large cooking pot lurks in a kitchen cupboard. Its sides are black with burnt-in fat, and a guest might wonder what the monster is used for. Occasionally, in some homes as often as once a week, this pot will be pulled out from its hiding place and put to good use for frying doughnuts in. It is not unusual for a doughnut-maker to make a double or even triple recipe in one session. Twisted doughnuts are not a specifically Icelandic phenomenon, but neither are they as common in other countries. Making these delicacies is time consuming and hard work, and therefore the batches are usually large to save time and effort. Don't try this if you have never deep-fried anything before, as the frying fat must be very hot, and certain precautions must be taken to avoid ...

"Klattar" mean "pats", an appropriate name for these pats of dough. "Lumma" (the singular form of "Lummur") is sometimes used to refer to something that is old fashioned, especially when referring to outdated music. My mother is an expert at making these mini pancakes. Unlike the large, thin pancakes that are served rolled up with sugar or whipped cream and jam, these small, thick ones taste best sprinkled with sugar, still warm from the skillet, with a glass of cold milk. A variation on the basic recipe is fish-pancakes . 150 ml flour 1 egg 1 tsp baking powder 150 ml milk (or more as needed) 1 tbs sugar 25 g margarine/butter 150 ml rice pudding or porridge 1-2 tbs. raisins (optional) Melt the margarine/butter on the skillet over low heat. Allow to cool slightly. Sieve flour and baking powder together into a bowl. Add sugar and rice pudding or porridge and mix well. Add half the milk and mix. Add the egg and the rest of t...

The word "skonsa" (the singular form of "skonsur") is the same word as "scone" in English. We Icelanders use the word to refer to a kind of thick pancake. The taste is similar to American breakfast pancakes, but we serve them differently. We usually cook them on the same kind of skillet as we use to make the delicious Icelandic pancakes. 250 g bread flour 4 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tbs sugar 40 g margarine, melted 250 ml milk 2 eggs Mix together the dry ingredients. Add the eggs and melted margarine, and thin with milk. Stir until smooth. Pour on a greased skillet and fry on both sides at low temperature. Cakes should be like thick pancakes. -serve cold with any kind of topping that is good with bread: cheese, slices of meat, salads, etc. -make a sandwich-cake: make a mayonnaise/sour-cream based salad (shrimp, tuna, egg, salmon, etc.), and layer with whole pancakes. (More on sandwich-cakes later). -serve warm like American pancakes, with butt...

Here's one way to prepare my favourite fish. 1 1/2 kg. Halibut, whole (or turbot, sole or other flat fish if you can't get halibut) 4 tbs flour 2 tsp salt 1/3 tsp ground pepper 150 g oil, butter or margarine 100 g 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 (capsicum).

Fried leaf breads. The top two have patterns made with a leaf-bread cutter, the third is hand cut: My father's extended family usually gather together at the beginning of December to make Laufabrauð , spending a whole day kneading, cutting and frying, before sharing a festive meal. There are usually 12-15 of us working together, turning out a couple of hudred of these flat, decorated breads in one day. The bread gets divided evenly between the families, who take it home and store until Christmas. This year’s gathering is tomorrow, so here is a recipe and I will try to remember to take photos to post. These deep-fried, thin wheat breads are traditionally cut with intricate decorative patterns, and are mostly eaten at Christmas. The tradition of making Laufabrauð has its roots in the northern part of Iceland, but has spread all over the country. Many bakeries now sell ready-made Laufabrauð, or pre-kneaded and cut dough that only needs decorating and frying, but nothing beats making ...

This is an old family favourite. Some variation of this dish can be had in many roadside diners thay serve more than the traditional hamburgers, sandwiches and hot dogs. 2 kg fish (cod, haddock, sole, flounder or any other white fish) – skin and bones removed 3/4 cup breadcrumbs 1 egg or egg white a splash milk (optional) 250 g margarine/butter 1 tsp salt 1 tsp fish spice mix (use your favourite mix or substitute with Season-All) a dash of pepper 1/2 medium onion, sliced 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 appetite. (Just make the pieces uniform in size.) Set up your workplace: First, a plate with the fish pieces, then a bowl with beaten egg, then a bowl with breadcrumbs, then the heated frying pan on the stove. Instructions: Melt half the margarine/butter (or use equivalent i...

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 and saithe are traditional), skinned and boneless 1 medium onion 2/3 cup flour 1/5 cup potato starch (use cornstarch if potato starch is not available) 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs milk, as needed 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 medium heat, until browned and cooked through. Serve with fresh salad and potatoes. Ketchup also goes well with fish-balls. -If you must have some sauc...

Flatbread, cut into wedges and  sandwiched with hangikjöt. Yet another food you are likely to find on the Þorri buffet. This traditional bread is delicious with butter and a slice of hangikjöt (smoked lamb). 500 g rye flour 1/2 tsp salt 250-300 ml boiling water Mix the salt and the rye flour. Add some water and knead. Dough should be fairly soft. Roll out thin and use a small plate to cut even sized breads. Prick all over with a fork and bake on top of the stove at medium to high temperature. For authenticity, do not use a griddle or skillet, but put the cakes directly onto the cooking plate (this is both smelly and smoky). Cook on one side until it begins to look dry, then turn over. The bread should have some slight burn spots here and there. Good with slices of cold meat, such as hangikjöt, ham, or lamb pâté, and delicious slathered with butter. Someone contacted me with a couple of tips for making flat bread: -If you make the flat bread in the traditional way, there will ...