Tis the season to share my lutefisk story. What is lutefisk you might ask if you aren't from Minnesota or of Scandinavian descent?
It is a Scandinavian Christmas specialty made with unsalted dried cod that has been soaked in a mixture of water and potash lye for eight days—it’s a way to preserve fresh fish for those long, cold winter months. The downside of this method of preservation is that it stinks when it is being cooked. I mean REALLY stinks! If you can get past the smell and the gelatinous texture (a little like Jell-O), it tastes good—like fresh fish.
You can either simmer it for 10 to 15 minutes or bake it in the oven at 375F. for only 25 to 30 minutes. Be sure to use a glass baking dish and do not cover it with foil—anything made of metal will corrode once it comes in contact with the fish. It's served with melted butter or a white sauce, depending on whether you are Norwegian or Swedish. Oh, and traditionally, white foods are served with it such as boiled or mashed potatoes and maybe some steamed cauliflower as a veggie. (To add some color to your plate, it is okay to serve peas, too.) One more thing that we must have with this meal is lefse—a sort of tortilla made with potatoes and flour.
A few years ago, I had invited a large group of friends over for dinner on a Saturday night in December. A couple of weeks before my dinner, I asked everyone who was coming if they would prefer lutefisk or Swedish meatballs. Yes, some of them actually ordered the lutefisk! I decided to bake the lutefisk so that I could join my guests for the appetizers of cheeses and flatbreads and some glögg (Swedish hot spiced-wine) and not have to worry about overcooking the fish. After the lutefisk was done, I left it in the oven on a very low setting to keep it warm for about another half an hour or so.
When I opened the oven to check on the lutefisk, much to my surprise, I found the baking dish full of liquid. Many pounds of lutefisk had cooked down to lutefisk water. Must have been the lye. It was a good thing that I'd made lots of extra meatballs.