Iceland Cometh
The best of this island's cuisine starts with its fresh, sweet seafood.
My flight home from Norway last summer stopped in Iceland, where I spent a couple of days roaming the volcanic landscape and rocky coastline. Of course, I don't have to tell New Englanders, where there's coast, there's fish.
Oh, what fish! My hosts, editors of Iceland's premier cooking magazine, Gestgjafinn ("The Host"), led me to some of the freshest, sweetest fish I've ever eaten. Blue ling, a type of cod, tasted slightly stronger and fishier than its familiar cousin; it was fried golden and crisp in a super-crunchy, malty batter made of spelt and barley. Simple roasted chunks of halibut were sweet and delicate, and a traditional dish of cod and potatoes - dressed in a rich, curry-spiked sauce and baked - was 100 percent comfort.
The highlight, though, was dinner cooked by one of the Gestgjafinn editors, Ulfar "Ulli" Finnbjornsson, the "Wild Chef of Iceland," famous for his knowledge and love of hunting, fishing, foraging, and nature. We started with arctic char that he caught the day before. He had foraged the wild mushrooms that accompanied tender, mild Icelandic lamb (raised by a friend of his, no less) roasted with potatoes and thyme from his garden. We finished with skyr, the Icelandic equivalent of yogurt, sprinkled with sugar and doused with cream and bilberry (like blueberry) syrup made from wild fruit picked earlier that summer. This was, indeed, classic Icelandic.
THE WILD CHEF'S ARCTIC CHAR WITH SCALLION RELISH
SERVES 8 AS AN APPETIZER
Though this fish is marinated in an acidic mixture, it is essentially served raw. So it is imperative to buy very, very fresh fish.
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable, corn, or canola oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium garlic clove, chopped very fine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling
Pepper, to taste
1 small red onion, cut lengthwise into quarters, then each quarter sliced very thin
1 pound arctic char fillet, skin and pin bones removed
6 large scallions, sliced thin
(about 2/3 cup)
In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, wine, vinegar, oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, tarragon, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and red onion. Pour into a small flat dish (just large enough to hold the char fillet), push the onion to the sides, and lay the char fillet, flesh side down, in the liquid, making sure the flesh is submerged completely. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, turning the fish over halfway through that time.
Remove the char from the marinade, pat it dry with paper towels and slice it thinly on the diagonal. Arrange the slices on a serving platter and sprinkle with salt. In a strainer, drain the onion mixture, discarding the liquid. In a small bowl, mix the marinated onion with the scallions. Serve the sliced char with crackers or cocktail pumpernickel topped with a small portion of the scallion mixture.
ICELANDIC HOUSEWIVES' FISH GRATIN
SERVES 6
The name of this cherished national dish is actually "mashed fish in Sunday clothes" (plokkfiskur i sparifotum). The basic fish and potato mixture is dressed up (Sunday clothes) and baked into a gratin.
3 medium red-skinned potatoes, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon plus 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus extra for seasoning
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vegetable, corn, or canola oil
2 pounds skinless cod, haddock, or hake fillet
1 teaspoon pepper, plus extra to season fish and topping
1/4 to 3/4 cup bottled clam juice
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt and cook until just tender but still firm, about 17 minutes. In a colander, drain the potatoes. When cool enough to handle, use a dinner fork to mash them roughly, and set aside. In the now empty pot over low heat, heat the milk just until it steams (but does not boil), and keep warm.
Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Smear a 3-quart baking dish with 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil, add the fish, and smear it with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then break into large flakes and set aside. Pour liquid in the baking dish into a measuring cup, add clam juice to measure 1 cup, and add to the warm milk. Wipe the baking dish with paper towels, grease it with 1/2 tablespoon of butter, and set aside.
In a straight-sided saute pan or large saucepan set over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add curry powder, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, and cook, stirring continuously, for about 45 seconds. Add flour, stir to combine (and work out any lumps), and cook, continuing to stir, for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk and clam-broth mixture, stirring vigorously, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the reserved potatoes and fish, and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, smooth the top, and set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat (or alternatively, in a bowl in the microwave), melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Add bread crumbs, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine, and sprinkle the mixture evenly on the surface of the fish mixture. Bake until it is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 35 minutes. Allow the gratin to rest for about 5 minutes, and serve.
Send comments and suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.
