Culinary journey in fem fiskevær
A culinary journey in Fem Fiskevær of course offers a lot of fish! Or "fesk" as we say here in the north. Here you get the traditional dishes as they have been made for generations, served according to the seasons - Mølja (fresh cod with liver and roe), fried cod tongues with raw vegetables, boknafisk (semi-dry cod) with bacon, pea puree and carrot. Fish soup based on today's catch or if you are lucky, homemade fish cakes!
The chefs at Fem Fiskevær are experienced and deliver at a high level! If you like good food and special menus, we recommend that you ask the hosts about the local delicacies, based on the season.
The historic fishing cathedrals (drying rack) have almost all been replaced with more HSE-friendly varieties, and in the winter months you will see the fish hanging on these "hjeller" as they are called, to turn into stockfish and boknafisk (semi-dry cod). The cold clear sea along the coast provides perfect living conditions for perhaps the world's best seafood. You can get the stockfish all year round, while the boknafisk often has its best season on the dining table from spring. What the locals used to call bait, we have now brought into the dinner table. Shells, sea urchin raw and seaweed are just some of the delicacies that help lift the meal.
Many artists draw their inspiration from the slightly nasty monkfish, and in several places it hangs dry where the characteristic mouth full of pointed teeth grins at you.
Meat can of course also be found on the menus, such as Villsau (wild sheep) and Vesterålslam ™ (lamb from Vesterålen), local venison such as grouse, elk and reindeer are also popular. Daylight around the clock in spring and summer provides local vegetables, herbs and potatoes of the highest quality throughout late summer and autumn. From nature we harvest berries and mushrooms.
Locally sourced ingredients and local production are important to us in Vesterålen. Locally produced food is not least better in terms of animal welfare as well as an assurance of quality and freshness. Our pantry is filled with what forest and land, mountains and marsh, rivers and seas can offer!
Fun fact: In northern Norway, many children as young as 6-7 years of age work with tongue cutting during winter fishing, a more than 100-year-old tradition (fried cod tongues are a traditional dish). This is not child labor, the Working Environment Act in Norway has a regulation that allows this. Tongue cutting is often a first encounter with the fishing industry and is a strong contributor to strengthening recruitment to the fishing profession. It is also not to be despised to earn up to 40,000 kroner during the winter holidays, and for the most eager up to 100,000 kroner during a season.
