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Lutefisk med Ertestuing (Lye-Cured Stockfish with Mushy Peas)

Lutefisk med Ertestuing (Lye-Cured Stockfish with Mushy Peas) reads richness 6.7, umami 5.8 and salinity 4.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Norwegian main, about 314 hr 55 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.7 · Umami 5.8 · Salinity 4.1 · Sweetness 3.4 · Smoke 2.0 · Earthy 1.7 · Herbaceous 1.7 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Marine & Briny 1.7 · Sourness 1.4 · Fruity 1.1 · Heat 1.0 · Bitterness 0.7 · Funk & Ferment 0.7 · Nutty 0.7 · Citrus 0.6 · Floral 0.6

What's in it (11)

Time & effort: about 314 hr 55 min (2 hr 55 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 8.8 kcal, 0.3 g protein, 0.6 g fat, 0.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (11 steps)

  1. Be clear about what this is before you start. Lutefisk is stockfish rehydrated in water, then held in a strong alkaline solution that raises its pH above 11 and partly breaks down the protein into a translucent gel, then soaked again in fresh water until it is safe to eat. In the lye stage the fish is genuinely caustic and inedible, and the solution will burn skin and eyes. Wear gloves and goggles, add the lye to the water and never the water to the lye, use a plastic or stainless bucket and never aluminium, and keep it where nobody will mistake it for a soaking pan. Most Norwegian households now buy the fish already treated, and that is a reasonable choice.
  2. Soak the stockfish in cold water for 6 days, changing the water every day, until it has swollen and softened. Keep it cold — below 8°C.
  3. Make the lye bath: dissolve the sodium hydroxide in 15 L of cold water in a plastic bucket, stirring with a wooden spoon. Submerge the soaked fish and leave it 2 days at cellar temperature. The flesh will turn glassy and swell further.
  4. Drain off the lye and soak the fish in repeated changes of fresh cold water for 4 to 6 days, until it no longer feels slippery-soapy between the fingers and tastes of nothing but fish. Undersoaked lutefisk tastes of soap and is not safe; this stage cannot be hurried.
  5. To cook: heat the oven to 225°C. Lay the fish skin-side down in a deep dish, salt it well and leave it 30 minutes — the salt draws out water and firms the flesh, which is what stops finished lutefisk collapsing into jelly.
  6. Pour off the water that has been drawn out, cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake 40 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and flakes into large translucent sheets.
  7. Meanwhile render the diced pork belly in a dry pan over medium heat for 12 minutes, until crisp and swimming in its own fat.
  8. Simmer the soaked peas in fresh water for 1 hour, until they collapse, then beat them to a coarse purée with the butter and pepper.
  9. Boil the potatoes for 25 minutes, until tender.
  10. Serve the lutefisk with the mushy peas, the potatoes, the crisp pork and its hot fat spooned over, the sweet mustard on the side and flatbrød to break over the top.
  11. Substitutions: cod can stand in for the dried stockfish.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.