Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.06.2005, Qupperneq 30

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Oddities: Shark, Salmon Roe and Skate fall into this category. All might be
worth trying, but few people make meals of any of these items.
Other advice: the most-recommended fish monger in the 101 area is
Fiskbúðin Vegamót. Otherwise, Hagkaup gets praise, as does Sægreifinn and
the booths at Kolaportið, the flea market open on weekends.
Fresh fish lasts up to two days before preparation, assuming you have a good
refrigerator. If going to a cookout, bring a cooler.
Finally, Icelanders are famous for being extraordinarily picky about fish: if
you can get one to help you choose, you’ll be treated very well.
Fiskbúðin Vegamót, Nesvegur 100, 170 Seltjarnarnes, Phone: 562-1070.
Sægreifinn, Verbúð 8, Geirsgata, 101 Reykjavík
Hagkaup, Kringlan, 103 Reykjavík, Phone: 568-9300.
Haddock (Ýsa): While cod is the
most famous fish export and has been
the lifeblood of the local economy,
locals have always preferred haddock.
Both are white fish and taste excellent
breaded, and both taste a good deal
better fresh than frozen. Easily cooked
in a saucepan, but not to be grilled.
This typically costs 1200 ISK a kilo.
Cod (Þorskur): Served in fish
sticks and fried patties throughout the
world, you don’t know how delicate
and flavourful this fish is until you’ve
eaten it fresh. Cook in a saucepan
or in the oven. Typically 1200 ISK a
kilo.
Salmon (Lax): You know the fish.
Fresh it’s great. Grilled is good. But
for the real speciality, try graflax,
something between smoked and a
kind of pickled salmon. DO NOT
COOK THIS! If it is red, it is ready
to eat. Slice it against the grain, serve
on bread or, if you can somehow find
one, a bagel. Price of graflax ranges
from 1800 ISK up. Salmon steaks
typically 1000 to 1200 ISK per kilo.
Monkfish (Skötuselur): Hands-
on ugliest and tastiest animal in the
planet, this fish was featured in this
year’s Bocuse d’Or, the premiere
culinary competition in Europe. Only
the tail of this beast can be eaten, but
oh the delights. Like lobster, only
much much better, you can cook this
on a grill, pan or oven, but it is highly
recommended that you marinate
overnight in a garlic and butter
mixture to maximize on the flavour.
Typically 1400 ISK a kilo.
Catfish (Steinbítur): Extremely
popular ocean-going catfish, this is
a darker, stronger tasting fish, and is
good on the grill.
Halibut (Lúða): A light, loose
flounder type fish. This is a good
summer fish, to be cooked under a
broiler. Typically 1200 ISK a kilo.
First of all, you need to know that there is a quota on
imported cheeses and meats in Iceland. In fact, you may
have found this out if you tried to bring a sausage or
cheese back from your visit abroad.
With this in mind, realize that you can go upstairs at
Iða, the large bookstore on Lækjargata, and come face to
face with a refrigerator full of prosciutto, jamón Serrano,
a range of cheese from France, Italy and Spain, the
works.
In fact, happy as you may be to discover this, you
may become ecstatic to find that you can get all these
foreign meats and cheeses thrown onto a home-baked
roll and served to you for 700 ISK.
To repeat: foreign meats and cheese, Yndisauki.

Okay, if you’ve got that down, we can move on to foie
gras, truffle oil, caviar, black rice vinegar, high-quality
olive oil, and olives. The shelves at this deli are stocked
with the dozens of items that expats from throughout
Europe and beyond force their relatives to mule to
Iceland during visits.
Iða, Yndisauki Lækjargata 2a. Phone: 511-8090.
by Bart Cameron
Don’t Make Your Family Mule Those Sausages:
Stock Up at Yndisauki
Buy Fish
FOREIGNER’S GUIDE TO BUYING FISH
The Grapevine Celebrates Ichthyology
3
Luxus Dried Banana Slices. 129 ISK for 250 grams at, you guessed it, 10-11.
True, when dried you don’t get vitamins from fruit, but you do get roughage.
Mmm. Roughage. And the package, if not the product itself, is from sunny
Kópavogur, home of the largest shopping mall in the country.
GRAPEVINE’S PURCHASES
THAT JUSTIFY EXISTENCE
1
Picture postcards from The Museum of Photography. Beautifully shot black
and whites of Iceland during less developed times available for 50 ISK a pop. No
waterfalls, puffins or geysers. Perfect not only for friends back home, but for your
desk or wall. The Museum of Photography, Tryggvagata 15, 101 Reykjavík.
2
Wool. For people learning the language, the lady working in the tourist shop
gives you the Icelandic lesson of the day, and the wool you get can be worked
into a handy pair of mittens or socks. 296 ISK per 100 metres of wool at Vík
Wool, with similar prices at other shops. Available throughout the country.
Shopping
4
Old School University Book Bag. Good quality canvas and handsome 70s
styling come together in the Háskóli Íslands book bag, great for use as hand
luggage or shopping. Available at the University Book Store for 500 ISK, with
a Reykjavík City Library version for the same price available... at the Reykjavík
City Library.
by Bart Cameron
You’ve come to an island in the middle of the Atlantic, home of the best
fishing waters in the world, and you’re ready to get to eating the local
specialities. The difficulties are that fish has different names locally, and
walking into a fish monger doesn’t feel like the easiest thing for a tourist to
do. Here the Grapevine attempts to explain and translate the essentials in
buying fish.
How to plan: First you need to know what occasion you plan on cooking
for. If you’re at a hostel or guesthouse, check to see if you have an oven. All
you need for good fish is a saucepan or a barbecue, but it’s best to know what
you have when you go to buy.
H
.S
.