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Lutefisk, It's what's for dinner,

YoChefGregg
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YoChefGregg

YoChefGregg

Posted
Posted

Does anyone else serve Lutefisk as part of their Christmas Eve smörgåbord? :rolleyes:

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Water Boils Roughly

Cold Eggs Coagulating

Egg Salad On Rye

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Gregg Robinson

ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted

My wife's family is Swedish and my MIL often tell tales from her childhood of snacking on Lutefisk (and limberger?) with her father around holiday time. For whatever reason (insert speculation here), that tradition seems to have died off with that generation. I've never even tried the stuff but given the proper opportunity, I would certainly give it a whirl.

Chef Gregg, do you make your own?

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

YoChefGregg

YoChefGregg

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I have always used purchased lutefisk. Unfortunately the quality is variable. Sometimes it is nice and firm and one has no problem using a fork to eat it. At other times it is quite jelly like and one needs to use a spoon.

Christmas Eve always sneaks up on me. Lutefisk making takes about 2 weeks to complete.

Lutefisk eating is an acquired trait.

I almost like it now, with lots of Dijon béchamel, after about 46 years of eating it at Christmas. My daughters and nephews look forward to trying it each year. They are always surprised that it hasn't killed anyone at our dinner yet.

To all of you other lutefisk eaters.........

Var Så God,

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Water Boils Roughly

Cold Eggs Coagulating

Egg Salad On Rye

-------------------------

Gregg Robinson

FaustianBargain

FaustianBargain

Posted
Posted
I have always used purchased lutefisk.  Unfortunately the quality is variable.  Sometimes it is nice and firm and one has no problem using a fork to eat it.  At other times it is quite jelly like and one needs to use a spoon.

Christmas Eve always sneaks up on me.  Lutefisk making takes about 2 weeks to complete.

Lutefisk eating is an acquired trait.

I almost like it now, with lots of Dijon béchamel, after about 46 years of eating it at Christmas.  My daughters and nephews look forward to trying it each year.  They are always surprised that it hasn't killed anyone at our dinner yet.

To all of you other lutefisk eaters.........

Var Så God,

hello there. i am intrigued now. can you tell us how to make it? anything that takes 2 weeks to prepare cant be bad.

Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted
i am intrigued now. can you tell us how to make it? anything that takes 2 weeks to prepare cant be bad.

Lutefisk recipe ... :wink:

a bit of Christmas seasonal lutefisk humor ... :laugh:

From out in the kitchen, an odor came stealing

That fairly set my senses to reeling.

The smell of lutefisk crept down the hall

And wilted a plant, in a pot on the wall.

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

While I'm not the one to put down other culture's practices, me and lutefisk have to say adios pard to each other. I am truly sorry, but I can't get ammoniated jellied fish down. There are an inordinate amount of lutefisk mavens here, so I tried it my first year;my second year; my third year it got written off. But if you like it, enjoy, bud!

MSPD

MSPD

Posted
Posted

anything that takes 2 weeks to prepare cant be bad.

Oh yeah???

My Ode to Lutefisk

by MSPD

I've tried it once,

I've tried it twice,

served with butter,

placed next to rice.

The fish they pound

and soak in lye,

just the stench alone

makes me want to cry.

It jiggles in a crystal dish,

I can't believe it's really fish!

Oh the humanity, please make it stop.

This ammonia-smelling pile of glop.

Year after year,

it's set on the table,

to choke it down,

set your taste buds to "disable".

That poor cod,

what sin did he commit

to end up as a dish

that tastes like such....vom-it? (insert another noun here if you would like)

Set down that spoon!

It's not worth the risk.

It's time this tradition ended.

Just say "no" to lutefisk.

the_cow_whisperer

the_cow_whisperer

Posted
Posted

hello there. i am intrigued now. can you tell us how to make it? anything that takes 2 weeks to prepare cant be bad.

There's a weird shaggy dog type story my mother used to tell about preparing Lutefisk.

Soak fish in Lye for 5 days.

Soak fish in water, changing water twice each day for 4 days.

Put fish on plank, and roast for 2 hours. Pipe potatoes around plank, roast for 30 more minutes.

Throw away the fish and eat the plank :-)

Dried salted cod makes sense as a dish prepared before refrigeration; the Italians have a similar product Baccalà. It doesn't seem to get the bad rap that Lutefisk does.

In all seriousness, where can one get dried salted cod? My mother let the Lutefish tradition die with her mother so I was never exposed to it. Might be nice to try.

Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted
In all seriousness, where can one get dried salted cod? 

Northern Products has all types of salted dried fish! :wink:

Although cured today using the same century old traditions handed down from generation to generation, our quality control program is produced under the strict quality  management  program of Canadian Fisheries and Ocean regulations.

The ultimate test of satisfaction is our ability to continually deliver the finest Cod, Hake, or Pollock to our customers.

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

YoChefGregg

YoChefGregg

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

:rolleyes: I can purchase dried cod from my local fish market, although I never have.

I certain that many of us eat things and do odd things in the name of tradition.

Christmas eve wouldn't be the same without Lutefisk.

My two Sudanese foster sons even try it.

They can appreciate the history behind the dish.

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Water Boils Roughly

Cold Eggs Coagulating

Egg Salad On Rye

-------------------------

Gregg Robinson

snowangel

snowangel

Posted
Posted

We, too, do the lutefisk thing on Xmas Eve (with the in-laws). Ironically, we used to do oyster soup. Now, don't get me wrong. I love oysters. I just don't like them floating in warm milk (with nothing else). They reminded me of snot balls.

So, one year, Paul suggested we do something different. So, lutefisk and swedish meatballs.

Lutefisk? I put it on boiled new potatoes, and smash the whole works together. Lots of melted butter, some white sauce, and an astonishing amount of cracked black pepper, and you hardly know it's lutefisk.

Heidi (my child with disabilities) loves it. It's white (her favorite food color). It comes with butter and potatoes. It's easy to eat with a spoon off her scoop bowl.

It is what it is. I eat it once a year. I'll eat anything. Except lefse. That stuff leaves me cold. A cold, potato crepe with butter and sugar. ?????

I think this year, I'm going to tote along a bottle of Tabasco chipotle and see what it does for the lutefisk.

I'm taking roasted carrots (a favorite of mine) and a great salad with spinach, pomegranite seeds, candied pecans with a nice dressing. I'm also bringing swedish meatballs, and have resisted the temptation to substitute larb balls.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
YoChefGregg

YoChefGregg

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Our lutefisk this year was not one of our best. The fish was at it's worst.

Every negative comment was summed up and laying insipidly in our oven proof dish.

I can't wait for next year's attempt.

GOTT NYTT åR

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Water Boils Roughly

Cold Eggs Coagulating

Egg Salad On Rye

-------------------------

Gregg Robinson

MSPD

MSPD

Posted
Posted
Our lutefisk this year was not one of our best.  The fish was at it's worst. 

Every negative comment was summed up and laying insipidly in our oven proof dish.

I can't wait for next year's attempt.

GOTT NYTT åR

Sorry to hear that. Ours wasn't that great either (not that it ever is). But, I give it a fair shake every year. Oddly enough, I realized I've sort of come to appreciate the smell -- maybe subconsciously reminds me of living on the water in Rhode Island years ago. I couldn't figure it out.

Now the lefse. THAT was good. Still warm, fresh off the pan.

My brother-in-law made some remark about putting the lutefisk on the lefse, calling it an "Uffda Taco". Anyway...I digress....

YoChefGregg

YoChefGregg

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Thanks for the good wishes.

Maybe we'll try luting our own next year.

Here is a true lover of Lutefisk,

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=73352

Forum Host Note: Posted edited to activate the hyperlink

Edited by ronnie_suburban (log)

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Water Boils Roughly

Cold Eggs Coagulating

Egg Salad On Rye

-------------------------

Gregg Robinson

Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

I will know what the source is if I should hear of bombdogs stricken by a lack of olfactory senses!!! Good article! May your luck be better next year! As I said, although I can't do it, I hope you enjoy your tradition. I would not expect you to like bison tongue, which I like a lot.

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