Saltfiskur

Salt fish

For many Icelanders, fish was and is their livelihood, literally. The Icelanders even almost went to war for their fish and their fishing rights - in the so-called "Cod Wars" between 1958 and 1976 between Iceland and Great Britain it was about the expansion of Iceland's fishing limits from 3 nautical miles to now 200 nautical miles. Iceland was able to prevail against Great Britain.

The Icelanders prefer to trust in their cod rather than in God...

If you are interested in the cod wars, we recommend the corresponding exhibition at Sjóminjasafn, the maritime museum in Reykjavík - I actually found it very interesting when I visited it last year (albeit more by chance).

Once the fish has been caught, the second step is to make it last as long as possible. Salting is one of the oldest methods of preserving fish. And drying - sometimes both are combined - then you get dried salt fish.

In Iceland, cod ("Þorsk") is usually used for salt fish.

Salt fish are so-called "hard-salted fish products" made from beheaded and gutted fish. Fish with a salt content of over 20% in the fish tissue water (water content below 54%) are referred to as “hard salted”.

The structure and color of the fish / fish fillet is basically not changed by salting, the taste is also "specific" - just very salty to very, very salty. It is therefore important to water the fish thoroughly before preparation, if necessary even to soak it in water overnight.

Dried saltfish can be used in cooking like fresh saltfish - although it must always be placed in cold water for 3 to 4 hours before preparing the dish to replenish the water that has been removed from the fish during drying.

This week I would like to introduce you to three different salt-fresh dishes that I tried on site during my last stay in Iceland:

- Boiled salt fish

- Oven baked salt fish

- Saltfish lasagna

In Germany you can sometimes get salt fish in Turkish or Spanish grocery stores. It is also possible to prepare the dishes with fresh cod - but then the dish must of course be salted accordingly!

Icelandic salt fish - with skin of course!

[Translated from here.]