Kæstur hákarl

One food you cannot ignore when in Iceland is Kæstur hákarl or fermented shark. It shows to what great lengths the Icelandic people would go to make potential food edible in times of scarcity.

The shark used for hákarl is Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), whose flesh is toxic to humans because of the presence of high concentrations of urea and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). But if you press out the fluids and let the meat ferment for 6-12 weeks and then dry the meat for several months, the meat becomes edible. In the olden days (think: Vikings!) the meat would be buried and the sand was used as a weight to press out the fluids. If you do eat the meat fresh you get ‘shark drunk’. I wonder how bad this can feel, is it similar to taking in an extreme amount of alcohol or hallucinogenic drugs?

I had hákarl in Café Loki as part of a mini Þorramatur with rúgbrauð, hákarl, harðfiskur (wind-dried fish) and brennivín. Brennivín is made from fermented grain or potato and flavoured with caraway and was introduced in Iceland after the prohibition ended in 1935. The Vikings would certainly not have drunk brennivín with their hákarl.

Kæstur hákarl does smell of ammonia but the taste is not so bad at all. I even liked it and was sorry my plate only contained four pieces. By the way, Gordon Ramsay is a pussy.

Lobster soup in Grindavík

For the average tourist there is not much to see in Grindavík (population: 3300). It was only in 1939 a safe landing point for the fishing ships was created at Hópið but the fishing industry didn’t change much until the 1950s. A newly built breakwater gave the ships even more protection to harbour safely. Before 1939 the ships would have to be pulled ashore at night. The fish would have been salted for preservation. During the late 19th and early 20th century salted fish was Iceland’s main export product.

The day I was in Grindavík it was a very stormy and wet day. The night before a big storm landed in Iceland making travel by car not advisable. After a walk around the harbour I could only warm myself in Bryggjan Kaffihus & Cafe. The menu is very limited but they had a very tasty lobster soup (Humarsúpa), which is made from Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) also known as langoustine. This is the only type of lobster found in the waters around Iceland. The soup had all the flavour extracted from the lobsters but had barely any flesh in it. This is understandable since the stock has been in decline since 2005. Fishermen were unable to catch the full quota in 2017. Jónas Páll Jónasson, ichthyologist at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute: “There is no question whether lobster fishing will be banned in the near future, “it’s only a question of when it will happen.” Crusteceans are sensitive to changing ocean conditions and rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, so there might also be a link to climate change but these animals also reproduce slowly in cold waters so despite the quota, overfishing is a factor.

Humarsúpa is basically a bisque and if you Google for recipes you will find so many variations it is hard to pick a recipe. Modern versions contain curry powder, cream, white wine and cognac.

Lobster soup, as long as stock lasts.

View from the window of Bryggjan Kaffihus

Cod, ling & tusk

Or in Icelandic: Þorskur, Langa & Keila. Just a few of the cod-family fish I ate in Iceland. But there are more similar fish with Icelandic names: Blálanga, Kolmunni, Lýsa, Snarphali, Spærlingur, Ufsi, Ýsa. Point is, white fish is very popular in Iceland and is eaten very fresh. It is also the ingredient of Plokkfiskur, somewhat of a national dish consisting of cod, potatoes and onion.

Common ling (Molva molva), Icelandic name : Langa.

Cusk or tusk (Brosme brosme), Icelandic name: Keila.

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Icelandic name: Þorskur or atlantshafsþorskur.

Drying fish in 1835 in Reykjavík.

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Catch of the day from Grindavík

Below is the catch of the day from the harbour in Grindavík with potatoes, langoustine sauce, kale and almonds (ISK 4900). This dish was served in the Lava Restaurant of the Blue Lagoon. The photo is not so crisp because I only had my iPhone with me in the restaurant. But this lunch - the catch of the day was Keila - was just perfect. Below the kale you can see some apple cubes marinated in I assume a vinegar mixture; the langoustine sauce looks like mayonnaise in the photo, in reality the sauce was so light it was about to fly away. The fish was so fresh it didn't taste like any white fish I have eaten in The Netherlands. Just wow! The view was not too shabby either.

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Plokkfiskur

The national dish of Iceland is mostly eaten at home, but also served in restaurants. It uses left over bits of cod (or similar fish), potatoes and onions. The sauce is made with butter, milk and flower. It is an ancient dish. Magnus Nilsson assumes in The Nordic Cook Book that plokkfiskur used to be made with salted or dried fish. Today fresh fish is used. In the most basic form the only seasoning is white pepper and salt.

It is an easy dish. Melt butter in a pan and fry onion translucent but not brown. Sift flower over the onions and stir to make a roux, add milk and stir until the sauce has thickened. Add the precooked fish and add pre-cooked potatoes. Mash and stir until you are happy with the consistency. Season with white pepper and salt - Magnus Nilsson, The Nordic Cook Book, page 238.

It should be served with Icelandic Rye Bread (Rugbrauð) and butter. You can make this bread by burying the dough in the hot soil near a hot spring. Rye bread is baked at much lower temperatures than wheat bread.

Plokkfiskur in Reykjavík Fish Restaurant, Reykjavík.

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Fish and Chips

Fish and chips are very popular. This dish has a long history. The English tradition of fish battered and fried in oil may have come from Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal as early as the 16th century. Trawl fishing innovations in the 19th century made plenty of fish available and around the same time fried ‘chips’ of potato were introduced, the railroads brought the ingredients to the British people. The Icelandic fish and chips is most likely a British influence. Despite the Cod Wars the two countries (specially Scotland) have a long relation.

Icelandic Fish and Chips. In this restaurant in Reykjavík you choose your fish (the choice was between cod, ling and tusk) and they fry the fish in batter. The ale is a Nr 10 Snorri by Borg Brugghús.

Dry Dock, Reykjavík.

Matur og Drykkur

Cod ́s Head cooked in chicken stock and blueberries. Served with rucola salad and lovage aioli.

“The Little Cook Book for Genteel Housekeepers” from the year 1800 details two types of courses. Expensive materials are used for respectable people while the cheaper materials are cooked for the unseemly. But the cheaper materials are best when treated with love and care.

4990 kr.

At Matur og Drykkur they serve the cod’s head so that is staring right at you. The head was taken from a big cod (a 15 kilo fish they told me) and even though there is are plenty of bone in the head I could barely finish it. The tongue was served separately - fried in batter with aioli on the side. The head was marinated in spices I recognised but couldn’t identify and cooked in chicken stock. I am also reading online that the head is not boiled but ‘lacquered’ in chicken stock. I think sooner or later they have to publicise the recipe. Just before serving I could see them scorching the head slightly with a gas blowtorch. The cod’s head and the two beers costed a fortune (actually, just ISK 7640 or EUR 54) but since it was my last night and a once in a lifetime experience I thought: well, what the hell. When eating a cod’s head it is inevitable you need to use your hands. You end up with very sticky fingers because of the fish glue.

I had two seasonal beers, both made by the local Borg Brugghús founded in 2010. The first was an amber ale but due lack of a bottle I am not sure which one. The second was a dark purple beer called NR. 59 Skyrjarmur, which is soured with traditional Icelandic skyr and sweetened back by blueberries. I had the NR. 10 Snorri before and I have to say that all Borg beers were really excellent.

The name of the restaurant is taken from an Icelandic cooking book - and inspiration for the menu - called Matur og Drykkur (Food and Drinks) by Helga Sigurðardóttir, a former principal at the housekeepers school in Iceland. Below the book was a copy of The Nordic Cook Book by Magnus Nillson, my favourite and only nordic cook book. The restaurant is located in an old Salt Fish factory in the harbour area built in 1924 and used as a salt fish factory until the end of the 60’s. I really loved Matur og Drykkur. The staff is quirky and open for questions, the atmosphere is chic and laid-back at the same time. Both my shoes and waterproof trousers were muddy but I didn’t feel out of place.