Day Two in Norway: FISHING IN SOMMARØY
On our second day in Norway,
Thursday Food went fishing in the Norwegian Sea in what felt like -11°C temps.
Along with Executive Culinary Artist Oji Jaja, and chefs and journalists from the Dominican Republic and Mexico we were in Norway as guests of the Norwegian Seafood Council, which exports the highest quality salt fish worldwide. On the second day of the five-day press trip, Norwegian Seafood Council Director of Brazil and the Caribbean Øystein Valanes took the group to Sommarøy — an old fishing village in the western part of Tromsø.
After an hour’s drive through tunnels, over bridges and past majestic snow-covered mountains, the group arrived at the dock of Sommarøy Sea Family. Upon exiting the warm cocoon of our luxury coach, the wind slapped us into arctic reality. One group member, who lived in Canada, tried giving tips on staying warm (a futile effort) for the 10-minute wait until we could go aboard. Good thing Valanes gave our tour guide detailed information about our group. Sommarøy Sea Family co-owner and general manager Ketil Voll was most hospitable and had thermal fishing suits and coffee ready.
We went “quite far out” (that’s the measurement of distance, like “feels like” in Celsius, that we’ll stick to) and, after taking a deep breath, headed onto the deck to fish. It was a most enjoyable and memorable experience. Valanes and Jaja caught a good-sized saithe. This inspired friendly competition, but it was time to head to lunch after close to an hour of our bait remaining unbitten.
The Sommarøy Sea Family boat dropped the group at Bryggejentene, a
cosy café, restaurant and gift shop on Kvaløya island. The Norwegians (and Danish) have a cultural practice called hygge. It encapsulates a mood of cosiness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment. Bryggejentene is the quintessence of hygge, and walking through the doors felt like a warm hug.
After mugs of hot chocolate, the group headed to the private dining room for lunch. We had boknafisk for our first course. Boknafisk uses semi-dried stockfish (dried, unsalted cod). Traditional stockfish is dried for around four months, whereas the product used for boknafisk hangs on vast open-air timber racks called stocks (hence the name) for 14 days or until it is semi-dried. The dish historically considered “a poor man’s dish” is now highly desirable and a premium product. Boknafisk comprises pan-seared fish, carrots in béchamel, potatoes and bacon.
Next, the pleasant folks at Bryggejentene served clipfish (klippfisk in Norwegian) or what we in Jamaica refer to as salt fish. The rehydrated fish was apportioned into fillets, seared in beurre noisette (brown butter), topped with soy tapioca, and served with mashed fresh petit pois and pickled fennel salad, radishes and potatoes. The dish was delicate and nuanced.
After the meal, the group headed back to the hotel to catch up on sleep (jet lag) and pack as the next day, we’d fly to Ålesund port town on Norway’s west coast.