Mashed fish with potatoes
Plokkfiskur Icelandic cuisine
In earlier times, when Icelandic housewives would serve poached haddock or other white fish with boiled potatoes several times a week, there were invariably leftovers.
They were usually dealt with by incorporating them into this simple but very popular dish. Nowadays, people buy fresh fish just to make the dish and it can even be encountered in upscale restaurants.
500-600 g cooked haddock or cod (may be part fresh, part salted)
500 600 g potatoes, boiled and peeled
I onion
350 ml milk
50 g butter
3 tablespoons flour pepper, preferably white salt chives (optional).
Skin and bone the fish, then break it up into flakes. Chop the potatoes roughly. Chop the onion finely. Heat the milk in a saucepan, almost to boiling point. Meit the butter in a pan and sauté the onion over a medium heat until soft. Do not let it brown. Sprinkle the flour over the onion, stir well and cook for a minute or two. Gradually stir in the warm milk, stirring continually. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the fish and stir briskly to break the flakes up completely.
Season liberally with pepper and salt. Add the potatoes and stir gently. Cook over a low heat until heated through. Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with chives, if wished. Serve hot with dark rye bread and butter — from Icelandic cookbook.
