Flavors from elsewhere
Skrei fishing is currently in full swing in the waters of the Lofoten Islands. Until mid-April, you can find this mythical fish on the menus of great chefs and on the stalls of good fishmongers. But what makes it so special?
Latest edition : 21 February 2022
For several weeks, there is a lot of activity in the small fishing ports of the Lofoten Islands in Norway.
On the banks stand strange wooden racks. There, headless and gutted, tied in pairs, with their backs to the wind, fishes hang like that until June, losing ¾ of their weight. Then called “stokkfisk”, they can be kept for many months, even years. Part of the cod is salted before drying, thus becoming “kipfisch”, cod. But a large part is sold fresh, for catering.
Every January, carried by their instinct, hundreds of millions of cod leave the Barents Sea, this sea of the Arctic Ocean in the north of the country to migrate towards the northern coast of Norway and the Lofoten Islands, their native waters in fact .
During this long journey of 2000 km against the current in the icy waters, the cod changes its diet. It feeds on capelin and krill. Faced with effort, its flesh becomes firmer, more muscular and has a beautiful pearly hue. It is only after this invigorating journey that the cod can be called Skrei, a name coming from the Old Norse “skrida”: “I go forward”.
When the Skrei arrives, the Norwegian coast wakes up – the sea is full of fish. This miracle of nature lasts for four months, from January to April.
Only a small part of the hundreds of millions of fish are caught, with great care and traditional fishing methods from small boats. Then the skrei resumes its northern path towards the Barents Sea and the Gulf Stream brings billions of fertilized eggs northward. The eggs hatch, the new cod fry continue their journey.
The loop is thus closed. It will be necessary to wait nine months before it returns, nine months before finding again skrei which has, since 2006, been awarded a quality label that meets strict specifications.
Skrei lends itself to a multitude of culinary preparations, from the simplest to the most sophisticated. Pan-fried, roasted, poached or simply steamed, its delicate flesh flakes off when perfectly cooked. The skrei is cooked when its core temperature reaches 38°C.
However, it can be increased to 40/44°C for those who prefer medium cooking. His tongue, his cheeks, his eggs, his liver, are considered delicacies. By storing its excess fat in its liver and not in its muscles, the skrei is one of the leanest fish: 75 kcal per 100 g of flesh.
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