Icelandic cooking, recipes and food

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

“All the housewives in the country should be on the habit of acquiring at least one barrel of salted herring for the winter. The barrel must be stored in a cold place, for if the herring goes rancid it will not make good food. It is our duty, Icelandic housewives, to ensure that more is eaten of the herring than is now the case, this wholesome, fine food, which is caught in such abundance off our shores.” Foreword to the chapter on herring dishes in 160 fiskréttir (160 fish dishes) by Helga Sigurðardóttir. Helga Sigurðardóttir was Iceland’s version of Mrs. Beeton. She was not only a cook book author whose books can be found in many Icelandic homes, but also a cooking teacher . Several of the recipes on this blog originally came from one or another of her cookbooks, whether altered or unchanged. In the following weeks I will be posting a selection of dishes from this book, beginning with that gem of a fish, the herring. 2 salted herrings 2 bunches fresh dill, chopped 200 ml whit...

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...

My mother invented this dish. It can be served as a cold main dish or as an entrée using small portions. Herring on rye: Slices of sweet, dark rye or pumpernickel bread Marinated herring (about one fillet for each slice of bread) Thin slices of sweet apple (about one medium Red Delicious for each 6 slices of bread) Sliced banana (about one medium banana for 2 slices of bread) Sliced hard-boiled egg (about one egg for each 2 slices of bread) Sauce: I am not going to give exact measurements for the sauce, as I never make it the same way twice: Mayonnaise (about 1 1/2 tbs for each slice of bread, more if you're a sauce fancier) Honey Mild or medium hot curry powder mix* Cream (optional, see instructions) Mix together mayonnaise and honey until well blended. The result should have a mild taste of honey. Add curry powder to taste. (If you need a recipe to follow, use one for gravlax sauce, leave out the mustard and replace the dill with curry powder). If sauce is thick, add some cream o...

This herring salad is a fresh and unusual addition to a brunch or buffet. 1 sweet apple 5-6 slices pickled red beet (Recipe!) 2-3 fillets marinated or spice pickled herring 1/2 - 2/3 cup mayonnaise Take about half a cup of mayonnaise and stir well to prevent lumps (Icelandic mayonnaise is thick and tends to become lumpy if not stirred). Cut the herring fillets 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 (or cheat and use red food colouring). Serving suggestions: -serve with rye bread or crackers. Top with slices of hard boiled egg (optional). -replace half the mayonnaise with sour cream.

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 salted herrings 200 ml white vinegar 1 medium onion 200 ml water 6 black peppercorns 100 ml sugar 1 laurel leaf, broken into pieces (To convert measures, use the link on the right sidebar) First, the excess salt must be removed from the herring: 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. Preparation: 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. Store in the refrigerator. Will keep for a couple of weeks. Serving sug...