MMMmmm Lutfisk!

It's that time of year again when the Christensen's kick up their Norwegian herritage and break out their traditional Christmas dish.

Lutfisk and Lefse.

What is Lutfisk and Lefse? Well it's part good, and part well... lets just say most will either love it or hate it. I'm smack in the middle. Lutefisk is made from air-dried whitefish (normally cod, but ling is also used), prepared with lye, in a sequence of particular treatments. The first treatment is to soak the stockfish in cold water for five to six days (changed daily). The saturated stockfish is then soaked in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. The fish will swell during this soaking, regaining a size even bigger than the original (undried) fish.

Sounds Yummy?

It is said that the lutfisk was invented because some fumbly person happened to drop some lye on a piece of dried, soaked fish and thus discovered that the dry fish re-took its original shape and became white. Crazy Norwegiens! This is generally served wrapped like a burrito with butter, boiled potatoes and more butter inside a lefse, which is basically a potato tortilla shell.

Uf-Dah!

Maybe we should serve the Lutfisk and Lefse with Haggis next year?