Recipe for rødsei from Petter-Inge at Grønnhuset
In the cookbook “ØYA – Myken Maten Menneskene”, Kerstin Marthinsen and Julie Luneborg write about life on a small island far out at sea, and they’ve collected recipes from both neighbours and chefs on Myken. Here is Petter-Inge Pettersen’s recipe for rødsei—a traditional dish made with long-fermented pollock—prepared in his “Green House” on the island.
Julie Luneborg
“Come on down to the cellar, but keep your shoes on,” says Petter-Inge as we head down the stairs. The fish he’s about to serve is waiting in a bucket at the back of a dark storage room. It’s been there since July 2016. Almost eight years. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority states that gammelsei (aged pollock) cannot be produced for anything other than private use. We’re not exactly reassured. When Petter-Inge prepared the bucket, he cut the fillets from the fish with the skin still on and layered them in with bones and salt. Blood and guts are important for the flavour and final product, and the fish needs to rest in the brine for at least a year before it’s eaten. Rødsei is traditional coastal fare, but it’s also served inland.
Petter-Inge Pettersen is a fisherman from Harstad. He was lucky enough to win over his Hanna Marie from Myken back when they were students in Bodø. On late summer evenings, you might hear him strumming Har du fyr on his guitar—there are few summer guests here who don’t find out who the island’s most sociable northerner is. Petter-Inge’s presence and charm are unmistakable.
Julie Luneborg
Rødsei – the Ocean’s Version of Pinnekjøtt
The recipe serves 4
Julie Luneborg
Ingredients
1 kg boneless rødsei (approx. 4 fillets)
400 g bacon or lightly salted pork
150 g butter
600 g potatoes
1 tsp salt
Carrot Stew
500 g carrots
5 dl milk
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
½ tsp salt
a little ground nutmeg
or
Mashed Rutabaga
500 g rutabaga
100 g butter
½ tsp salt
Preparation
Rinse the fillets thoroughly and soak them in cold water, changing the water at least once over one to two days.
Peel and slice the rutabaga. Simmer the slices in salted water for about two hours, until completely tender and slightly browned and caramelised. Make sure there’s enough water in the pot throughout. Drain, mash with butter, and season with salt to taste.
Remove the skin from the soaked fillets, cut into serving portions, and place the skin at the bottom of a pot with a rack over it. Place the fillets on the rack and add cold water until just covered. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 30 minutes.
Peel and slice the carrots. Boil in lightly salted water until just tender. In a separate pot, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk while stirring. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes to remove the floury taste, then season with salt and nutmeg. Add the carrots to the sauce.
Dice the bacon or pork and fry until crisp and cooked through. Add butter and keep warm.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until fully cooked.
Boka «ØYA Myken Maten Menneskene»
Julie Luneborg
Myken is a very special island. Just 13 people live there, far out at sea on the Helgeland coast—32 kilometres from the nearest neighbour on the mainland.
Now, authors Kerstin Marthinsen and Julie Luneborg have written “ØYA Myken Maten Menneskene”, a cookbook about life on a small island out at sea—meant to inspire joy in cooking and help build community in small coastal settlements.
You can find the cookbook at Mykenisland.com
