Gísli Egill Hrafnsson and Inga Elsa Bergþórsdóttir, a couple in real life as well as in the kitchen, welcome many tourists each year to their guesthouse in northern Iceland. They aim to introduce their guests to the typical ingredients of Nordic cuisine: numerous dried, smoked or salted fish – herring and salmon in particular – dill, rye bread, skyr (a kind of sour cream), wild berries ... But Nordic cuisine is also about "the importance of a healthy, balanced and varied diet" and of moments of conviviality, as the duo explains in their book Cuisine scandinave: Smaklig måltid! (Hachette Pratique, 272 pages, €30).
This book promotes a broad vision of Scandinavia, stretching from Denmark to Greenland, via Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Faroe Islands. It's all summed up in 55 recipes combining tradition and modernity, three of which we have here. We start with the famous Danish smørrebrød, those elegant buttered slices of rye bread topped with cold meats, fish, eggs or condiments. Then, a must-try potato salad with pickled herring. Finally, a mouth-watering walnut cake with whipped cream, strawberries and redcurrants.
Crayfish, dill mayonnaise
Spread rye bread generously with dill mayonnaise. Place a shelled crayfish on top. Top with a thin slice of lemon, lump roe, sprouts of your choice and dill.
Smoked eel, baked potato and scrambled eggs
Butter the bread and top with smoked eel fillets. Top with a cold cooked potato cut into small cubes, scrambled eggs and chopped chives.
Blue cheese and red fruit jam
Butter the bread and add thin slices of blue cheese. Top with fresh redcurrants, a thin slice of dried beet, sliced dulse (a seaweed) and chopped chives.
Poached cod roe with curry remoulade
Poach approximately 70 grams cod roe in simmering salted water for 30 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. Cut cod roe into slices. Spread on buttered bread and add 1 tablespoon curry remoulade to each slice. Garnish with a thin slice of radish, salmon roe and parsley.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients for 4 servings
Preparation
Peel the potatoes and boil in water. Cut in half. Mix crème fraîche with mustard, vinegar, chopped dill and tarragon. Pour this sauce over the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to rest.
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