Plokkfiskur Recipe | Icelandic Recipes | Arctic Adventures (2024)

FAQs

What is Plokkfiskur made of? ›

Traditional Plokkfiskur has been a staple in Icelandic kitchens since early times. As Chef Stefan explains, this hearty dish was always a simple but satisfying combination of leftover fish, potatoes, onion, and a simple white sauce (Béchamel Sauce, if you want to use the fancy name).

Plokkfiskur, also known as plokkari, is a simple dish created using mashed white fish such as haddock or cod, potatoes, and a creamy béchamel sauce. Traditionally, this dish was a popular way of using up leftover fish with just a couple of other ingredients.

Atlantic salmon sustains an economically important sports fishery in Iceland. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) is found as anadromous fish but also as resident freshwater stocks. Brown trout needs running water for spawning and is only found in lakes with inflowing and outflowing streams.

Gellur is often mistaken to be fish tongues, but actually, they're a fleshy, white, slimy, triangular muscle behind and under the tongue.

Plokkfiskur translates to "pulled fish" in English. It's a traditional Icelandic fish stew made with simple ingredients.

Historically, Icelanders have eaten harðfiskur, which is a whole fish dried into long strips, with butter as a substitute for bread. But over time instead of being viewed as a necessity, dried fish with butter has become a popular snack.

Hákarl (an abbreviation of kæstur hákarl [ˈcʰaistʏr ˈhauːˌkʰa(r)tl̥]), referred to as fermented shark in English, is a national dish of Iceland consisting of Greenland shark or other sleeper shark that has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five months.

What do picky eaters eat in Iceland? If seafood isn't your thing, don't worry, Iceland isn't all about fish, lobster and fermented shark. There are plenty of places to grab a burger, hot dog or pizza.

In parliament, politicians felt that beer was, in a way, a “gateway” alcohol, leading to heavier and more consumption. The logic behind this argument was questioned at the time, not only because hard spirits were being legalised over beer at the time.

The main components of a typical Icelandic breakfast include eggs, bacon, sausages, and skyr. Skyr is a traditional Icelandic yogurt that is high in protein and low in fat. It is often served with brown sugar, berries, or cream. Another popular dish is oatmeal or hafragrautur, which is made with rolled oats and milk.

Why does Iceland eat so much fish? ›

One big factor is a long history of fishing, and a reliance on the sea for sustenance. A harsh climate, short growing, and rocky soils made farming a challenge, so Icelanders have naturally looked to the sea for survival ever since the island was settled in the 9th century.

Hákarl or kæstur hákarl (Icelandic for “fermented shark”) is a national dish from Iceland. It consists of a Greenland or basking shark which is rotten, has been cured with a fermentation process, and is hung to dry in an open air shed.

Do Icelanders still eat horse meat? Although not as common as before, the answer to this question is yes. It's important to stress that Icelanders do not eat the same horses they ride. Some horses are specially bred for their meat and those horses are never tamed or given a name.

Two mainstays of Icelandic food are lamb and cod. In spring and summer there is so much sunlight that the grass grows quickly and there are a zillion lambs eating it. So one basic dish is a lamb soup or kjötsúpa.

For an Icelandic spin on a fish dinner, try making a Plokkfiskur, or fish stew. Despite the unfamiliar name, this dish is super easy to prepare: Boil a white fish like cod or herring and potatoes, and mash them together, then add a simple béchamel sauce made from flour, milk and butter.