Culinary treasures: Fish wrap – fast seafood

Fish wrap

Fish is a staple of Icelandic cuisine. As everyday food, it’s commonly boiled with potatoes or coated in breadcrumbs and fried. Today, Icelanders increasingly experiment with fish. Here’s a recipe for “fast seafood” with Icelandic ingredients by Sigurborg Stefansdottir.

PHOTO: Thorsteinn Roy Johannsson

INGREDIENTS

4 whole flatkokur (traditional Icelandic “flat bread”, e.g. Totu flatkokur – or other wraps) 4 fillets ling (or another firm white fish: Atlantic wolffish, spotted wolffish or cusk) Bunch of leafy salads (including wild sheep sorrel if available) ½ cucumber 1 red bell pepper Handful of sprouts of choice 3–4 tbsp. Dijon mustard 3–4 tbsp. sour cream Juice from half a lemon 4 tbsp. olive oil Dill (fresh or dried) Some chopped-up chili (if you like your food spicy) Salt and black pepper

METHOD

Marinate the fish in olive oil and lemon juice, then season with dill, pepper and salt. Fry it on a pan for a few minutes each side or cook in the oven for 10–15 min at 180°C (350°F), using oil and a little bit of butter. Blend the mustard and sour cream together (for a fresher taste, use more sour cream than mustard and add lemon juice) and then spread the mixture on the wraps. Cut the cucumber and pepper into strips and then arrange on the bread along with the fish, salads and sprouts before wrapping it up. Parchment paper can be used to keep the wrap from falling apart. Serves four.

Bon appétit! Language corner

ȫ Fylgifiskur (Lit. “accompanying fish”) is something that comes with a thing or a person, e.g., “I’m coming to the party with my fylgifiskar” (partner and kids). ȫ Ekki upp a marga fiska (Lit. “not worth many fish” – a reference to when fish were used as currency.) Used to describe something of bad quality. ȫ Flygur fiskisagan (Lit. “the fish story flies”) is when a rumour spreads quickly.

Originally, when someone reported a good catch, all the boats headed there. ȫ Vera einhverjum fiskur i fjoru (Lit. “be someone’s fish on the shore”) means to bring somebody luck, originally referencing fish drifting ashore – a free meal!

This recipe was one of many submitted to Mataraudur, the Iceland’s Culinary Treasures competition, where contestants created modern recipes with Icelandic ingredients, inspired by traditional dishes.

→ mataraudur.is

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