Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Top Eateries in Zealand
ABOVE: Guests at Kanal-Kroen can enjoy the view of ships sailing past the canal towards the town of Næstved. BELOW: The local smokehouse, Martens, has been somewhat of an institution in the fishing village for years and delivers smoked eel and salmon to Kanal-Kroen.
race to the roofed patio inside, the view of the canal intact. The fact that it is open year-round has also made Kanal-Kroen a beloved gathering point for the locals, who stay put in the village once summer and the flow of tourists come to an end. While her husband was born and bred in the village, Pedersen herself has lived in Karrebæksminde for the past 40 years, so the couple has an intimate knowledge of local life and Pedersen finds it gratifying that the locals enjoy coming to KanalKroen too. “The locals have really enjoyed it, the fact that they now have a place to
frequent and a place where they can throw events or small family parties. It has become a local gathering point and people have been very supportive of us,” she says. Locals come here year-round to socialise and Kanal-Kroen upholds its status as a gathering point not just because of the food and drinks but also by hosting regular events such as game nights. During the summer, tourists and locals come here on Friday nights for an evening of live music and dancing. The Friday night events cater to a mature audience, treasuring different kinds of music with a focus on evergreens and country music. Traditional Danish dishes Every day, all year, Kanal-Kroen features a menu of the day that changes according to the season and the available, fresh ingredients. While seated by their view of the canal, guests at the restaurant enjoy rustic, traditional Danish dishes such as pork tenderloin. Being located in a fishing village, however, Kanal-Kroen has a special emphasis on popular fish and seafood dishes that are cooked up with fresh, locally-caught ingredients bought from a local fisherman. Popular staples on the lunch menu include roast plaice, open sandwiches with
shrimp, fish fillet with shrimp and, not least, the Danish open-sandwich classic popularly named Stjerneskud (shooting star), a seafood extravaganza that features fried haddock, shrimp, crayfish and caviar, to name just a few of the key components. Kanal-Kroen has all of its smoked foods, such as the warm smoked salmon and the smoked eel, delivered from a local smokehouse, Martens, which has existed in Karrebæksminde for generations. While many parts of the menu at KanalKroen reflect the location and atmosphere of this locally-rooted restaurant by the water, one traditional Danish dish on the menu is so popular that it has its very own day of the week, no matter the season and the menu of the day. And it has nothing to do with seafood. Every Thursday, Kanal-Kroen serves up roast pork with parsley sauce and, not surprisingly, it is a big draw amongst perhaps especially the Danish guests: “Oh yes, it’s very popular,” Pedersen confirms. It does not get much more Danish than that.
For more information, please visit: www.kanalkroen.com
Issue 67 | August 2014 | 67