Recipe for Boknafisk from Laila at Blåstua
In the cookbook “ØYA Myken Maten Menneskene”, or ØYA – Myken, the Food, the People, Kerstin Marthinsen and Julie Luneborg write about life on a small island far out at sea, collecting recipes from neighbours and local chefs. This is Laila Nygård’s recipe for boknafisk, served at “Blåstua”.
Julie Luneborg
“A fish dried by sun and wind,” says Laila Nygård as we sit around the Formica table in the kitchen at Blåstua. The interior reflects a pure 1960s style—almost exactly as it was when she grew up here. As for the name boknafisk, it likely traces back to the North Sámi term bokna baias.
We first saw people in Myken hang boknafisk on a late winter day, just after the first cod had arrived. Gutted, whole fish—without heads—are hung in a cold and airy spot, often under the pier or an eave, for one to two weeks. Once the first flies arrive, it’s time to stop—the temperature has gotten too warm. The fish should be hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Semi-dried, in other words. That’s when it’s properly bokna.
In the past, boknafisk was only eaten in late winter and spring. But now, with freezers, it’s common to cut the fish into pieces, vacuum seal it, and freeze it. Laila can now enjoy her favourite dish all year round—because, as she puts it, nothing beats it.
Laila grew up in what was then called Paulinestua—the blue house on the right-hand side of the road as you head north from the shop. She and her husband, Olav Holden, have taken over the house, which most people now call Blåstua. The house has always been painted blue. Its yellow window frames give it a warmth that not even snow-packed winter storms can cover. It might just be one of the most photogenic houses along the road.
Boknafisk – Bokna baias
The recipe serves 4
Julie Luneborg
Ingredients
1 kg boknafisk
Coarse salt
7% white vinegar
300 g diced bacon
4 tsp capers
100 g butter
600 g potatoes
1 tsp salt
Carrot stew
500 g carrots
30 g butter
1 pinch grated nutmeg
1 tsp sugar
1.5 dl whole milk
0.5 dl cream
2.5 tbsp flour
Salt and ground white pepper
Preparation
Check whether the fish needs soaking before you start cooking. The fish we used for this recipe didn’t need soaking—it was soft and ready to go. If yours needs soaking, be sure to change the water regularly.
Bring water to a simmer in a pot, adding ½ dl coarse salt and ½ tbsp vinegar per litre of water. Add the fish and let it gently poach for about 10 minutes. It’s done when the skin comes loose or the flesh separates from the bone—if the fish you’ve got still has bones.
Peel the carrots and cut them into small cubes. Boil in lightly salted water—just enough to cover them. Once cooked, remove the carrots but save 1 dl of the cooking water. Pour this back into the pot, then add butter, nutmeg, and sugar. Mix the milk, cream, and flour in a lidded jar or container and shake well to form a smooth mixture. Pour it into the pot and let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes to cook off the flour taste. Season with salt and white pepper, then return the carrots to the sauce.
Fry the bacon over medium heat until it releases its fat and turns golden. Stir in the capers at the end. For a richer sauce to pour over the fish, you can also melt in a bit of extra butter.
Boil the potatoes in salted water and serve alongside the fish and carrot stew.
The book «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
