10. Lutefisk (LEWD-uh-fisk) is dried
cod that has been soaked in a lye solution for several days. This traditional dish is from Norway, Sweden,
and parts of Finland. But those in the
old country do not eat it anymore. Rather it’s become a holiday
treat for Scandinavian-Americans. In Scandinavia, cod were dried to preserve
them for later consumption. The lutefisk origin
story says that a drying rack filled with dried cod caught fire, leaving
wood ashes (or lye) that changed the cod forever. Lye is a caustic alkali that may raise the pH
of the fish to 10! Do not eat this. To make the lutefisk edible, you must first soak
the lutefisk in water to remove the lye. The soaked lutefisk is then gently
poached or baked because of the jelly-like consistency. It is an acquired taste, says the
Norwegian bachelor farmer. Others describe it as a foul
and odiferous gooey fish with rancid oily taste. Best served with lots of butter. Uff da!
Lutefisk Source |
9.
Surströmming. If lutefisk is not an appealing fish for your
bucket list, try Surströmming, which is
soured herring, or its cousin Rakfisk a fermented trout. Herring,
trout, and salmon are fatty fishes and drying is not an acceptable preservation
method. Fermentation,
however, will preserve the fish indefinitely.
Surströmming Source |
Surströmming is only produced in northern Sweden where
herring are harvested in spring, and gutted and salted. They are then packed in barrels with a strong (17%)
brine solution and allowed to ferment.
The pyloric
caecum is left intact in the gutted fish. This provides proteolytic enzymes
that facilitate a month-long fermentation.
The low temperatures (68̊ F) and brine are critical elements to the
fermentation, which produces strong smelling acids. It’s
the smell of the surströmming that appeals
to its proponents. I mean, what else could there be to make this appealing? Are you man enough to try it? Closest I have gotten is watching others open a can; watch this video1 or this video2. [Vomit Alert on video2!]
8. Kusaya is similar to surstromming, but is a Japanese
delicacy made by taking a fish like mackerel, soaking
it in brine solution for a day, then laying it out in the sun for a few more
days. Some kusaya makers pride themselves on having used the same brine over
several generations to make their stinky fermented fish. Although the smell can
be overpowering, the taste is actually quite mild. Can't wait to try it.
Kusaya is fermented mackerel. Source |
7.
Kæstur hákarl and Hongehoe are other
versions of fermented fish. The national
disk of Iceland is the Kæstur
hákarl, which is a fermented Greenland Shark. The Greenland Shark has high content of urea
and trimethylamine
oxide, a mixture that facilitates osmoregulation. However, after fermentation, the urea becomes
ammonia and the hakarl has a fishy taste and an ammonia-rich smell. Andrew
Zimmern, host of Bizzare
Foods, described the smell as "some of the most horrific things I've
ever breathed in my life." In Korea, a skate is fermented to create a
treat called Hongeohoe. I’m told it’s edible as long as you don’t
breathe.
Hongeohoe is fermented skate. Source |
Shiokara is salted, fermented fish guts in malted rice paste. Source |
4. Gefilte fish are ground fish patties that were
at one time stuffed back into the fish skin and baked. Gefilte
fish is a Jewish tradition that later morphed into fish-shaped fish patties
and even fish balls. The gefilte fish,
which is often carp, pike or whitefish, is poached in fish broth. You can use the whole head of a large carp to make
the jellied broth, or buy a prepared fish broth. There are lots of options if you aren't
planning to make it like your grandmother did. Gefilte
fish is also available as a ready-to-eat product from Manischewitz. The
Gefilte fish has morphed into many versions of fish meatballs. Take ground fish (of any type), mixed with
egg, breadcrumbs and herbs. Poach it very gently in salty water.
3. Shirako
are cod sperm eaten in Japan.
Romanians also eat carp milt, or Lapți, and the Russians eat herring milt, or Moloka. Cooked
or raw, fish sperm is also an acquired taste, so you may never know if you like
it unless you try it.
2. Dried anchovy. Ever eaten anchovies? Anchovies are a healthy, sustainable food
choice, that can be used in many
recipes. Cooking methods depend on their size. Big ones are only a few inches long and are called
"Dasi-myulchi" in Korean.
These are usually used for broth, while the small ones, called "Bokkeum-myulchi"
are stir-fried for unique dishes. Dried anchovy can be also served without
cooking as a snack. Try this spicy
anchovies recipe for a snack, or Myeolchi-muchim for a meal with rice and kimchi.
And
Number 1 on my bucket list? Fuguko
Nuka-zuke is one rare delicacy that I haven't tried. Fuguko Nuka-zuke are the pickled ovaries from
the pufferfish. Eating eggs of fish is
much more commonplace than eating fish sperm, whether it's caviar or shad roe. Nukazuke is a type of
Japanese pickle, made by fermenting vegetables in rice bran (nuka) and fugu is
Japanese for pufferfish. How did anyone
ever think to eat pufferfish ovaries? Ovaries
and other organs are filled with the deadly neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin! Somehow the pickling process breaks down the deadly
toxin. Otherwise, the organs of the pufferfish can
contain levels of tetrodotoxin sufficient to produce paralysis of
diaphragm. Do not try this one at home.
Shirako are cod sperm. |
Dried Anchovy. Source |
Fuguko Nuka-zuke, pickled ovaries from the pufferfish. source |
The
origins of many in the top ten are related to the fact that fish flesh
spoils quickly. Consequently, different
cultures dried, salted, fermented fish between harvests before ice and refrigeration
were widely available. We don’t have to
use these techniques today. But we do
because people find these foods interesting or tasty or both.
There
are many good reasons to add more fish to your diet. Eating more fish has been linked to lowered
risk of depression, heart disease, and brain health in high-risk individuals
(Marckmann and Grønbaek 1999; Morris et al. 2003; Li and Zhang 2015). Fish provide the opportunity for a highly diverse, healthy,
and interesting diet. If you don’t like
my fish bucket list, then write your own. Or you can eat
bugs!
References
Li, F., X. Liu,
and D. Zhang. 2015. Fish consumption and
risk of depression: a meta-analysis. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
doi:10.1136/jech-2015-206278
Marckmann, P. and M. Grønbaek. 1999.
Fish consumption and coronary heart disease mortality. A systematic
review of prospective cohort studies. European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53(8):585-590. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600832
Morris, M.C., D.A. Evans, J.L. Bienias, C.C. Tangney, D. A. Bennett,
R.S. Wildon, N. Aggarwal, and J. Schneider. 2003. Consumption of fish and n-3 fatty acids and
risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Archives
Neurology 60:940-946.
Morris, M.C., J. Brockman, J.A. Schneider, Y. Wang, D.A. Bennett, C.C.
Tangney, and O. van de Rest. 2016. Association of seafood consumption, brain
mercury level, and APOE ε4 status with
brain neuropathology in older adults. Journal
of the American Medical Association 315(5) doi:10.1001/jama.2015.19451
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