Scan Magazine
Culinary Feature
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Thorupstrand Fiskehus
Photo: Jens Thimm
Barefoot in the surf with fish ’n’ chips and live music “This is my office… and out there is the ocean,” says Janni Olesen, pointing out of the open door to a shimmering vista of sand, sky and seabirds wheeling on the breeze. “We’re right on the water!” Thorup Strand is one of Denmark’s most northerly beaches. Here, Olesen and her business partner Janet Anisimow run Thorupstrand Fiskehus – a deli and casual beachside restaurant serving fresh fish and local specialties. By Lena Hunter
“We only work with sustainably caught fish. That’s the heart of the business and of the Thorup Strand area,” says Olesen. “In fact, it’s the last place in the Nordics where we fish like this.” Fishermen have been working these waters on the shore of the Skagerrak strait between Norway, Denmark and Sweden since the Viking era – and they fish the way they’ve always done. “The boats are built the way the Vikings built their boats,” says 14 |
Issue 144
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July 2022
Olesen. “Fishing here is difficult; it’s highly dependent on weather and wind. But it’s worth it.” Worth it, indeed. Olesen and Anisimow have been running Thorupstrand Fiskehus together for just four years and have already been nominated for the municipality’s Entrepreneur Award. But Olesen is staunchly humble: “We stand on the shoulders of generations of fishermen.
They live and work here – we’re just here to cook and observe,” she says. For that reason, Thorupstrand Fiskehus is an unpolished place – about as farm (or rather, sea) to table to as it’s possible to get. “When you sit here and eat, you have a wonderful view of the ocean. You’re in nature – but you’re also very much at a workplace,” says Olesen. “We’re two women in a very male-dominated environment, and that creates a lot of wonderful synergies. It’s great to have some female power at this beach!” Less is more Thorupstrand Fiskehus’ menu is small but mighty, featuring pickled herring, pan-fried plaice and fishcakes, served with ryebread, jammy boiled eggs, tra-
