Ruffled Roses, Brita’s Norwegian Salmon Cakes, Spinach Salad, and Pinot Usher in a Pacific Northwest New Year
1 January 2009 by Jean Johnson
When Susan Coleman asked about my New Year’s food tradition I had no answer. No tamales like a proper Mexican madre. No black eyed peas like a good Southerner. Then I opened a Christmas card from my Norwegian relatives and spotted the word fiskekakker (fish cakes).
“Why not start a tradition with my grandmother’s fiskekakker,” I thought.
So I did. You can see what pink sweeties fiskekakker are. No egg or bread crumbs as filler–just a pudding of ground salmon and milk seasoned with salt and nutmeg, otherwise known as:
Brita’s Norwegian Salmon Cakes
This is my paternal grandmother’s recipe, although as she half apologetically said, it isn’t really a recipe since there aren’t any measurements. The story goes that Brita Bjornevald Johnson was a stubborn Norwegian if there ever was one, but she sure could cook as these salmon cakes abundantly demonstrate. They have no starchy filler or eggs and are light and tender.
Recipe Note
“Bone and skin a fresh salmon and put the flesh through a meat grinder twice. Don’t use more than two or three pounds of fish to try out since it accumulates a lot during the making.”
“Then beat it for a while, using a big bowl and wooden spoon. Start diluting it with milk, a little at a time until it gets like thick mush.”
“Season it with salt and nutmeg. It takes quite a lot of nutmeg, about a tablespoon for two pounds of fish.”
“Beat it some more, and as it gets thicker add a little more milk all the while pulling out any of the tiny white membranes you see. Be sure to add the milk sparingly, because too much makes the cakes flat when you fry them.”
Somewhere in Time ipod “Try a dab on the frying pan first using a spoon dipped in cold water. If your cake puffs up and looks fluffy, you got a good do and can start cooking. Brown the cakes slightly in a little oil and then put them to stay warm and moist in a pan with a little fish broth… Here’s hoping!”
Details
-The first time I made these I was uncertain even though I’d seen my grandmother and mother make the delicacies many times. But the tiny Norske lady’s “here’s hoping…” seemed such a cordial invitation.
~Filleting and grinding the fish was straightforward, and I remembered to not scrape the grinder too scrupulously, thus leaving the bulk of the stringy white membranes in the works of the machinery. As for the few membranes that got through, it was just a matter of picking them out with a fork while I was beating in the milk for the thick pudding.
~Boiling the carcass in enough water to strain off a cup or two of broth was easy too; basically like making tea. Finally frying the salmon cakes in a skillet filmed in oil was akin to doing pancakes, so no problem there.
~These days, I often do the cakes without messing with a whole salmon, using a chunk of fillet from a butcher that sells wild fish. While there are no bones for the broth, there’s still the skin with the goodly amount of flesh that adheres to it after cutting the fillet away. Then again, a vegetable broth of carrot, onion, fennel, and parsley is a venerable option as well.
Paul and Susan came toting a salad that was made to match the salmon: baby spinach, feta, walnuts, and apple. Laura and Bill cruised over with a bottle of Pinot Noir. And Kristin came bearing these ruffled pink roses. Aren’t they charmers? So beautiful I’ve brought them into the office here to sit among my food books as I write this post and work on a syllabus for a food history course I’ll be teaching this summer.
But, I digress. Dinner was great. Simple and seasonal. Fresh and local. Affordable and healthy. All that and everyone looked so very lovely in the candlelight. ~~Godt Nytt År, that’s Norske for Happy New Year~~
2 Responses to “Ruffled Roses, Brita’s Norwegian Salmon Cakes, Spinach Salad, and Pinot Usher in a Pacific Northwest New Year”
Jean
I am SO PROUD OF and INSPIRED by you for all your wonderful work and books published and coming to fruition and a class you’re teaching on food history? I love your photography still, particularly this post. Your narrative makes it so homey adding your friends and what they brought and how you’re making up your own tradition and all. You rock, Jean, as I’ve told you many times before
By denise on Aug 10, 2009
Ahh, Denisey. What’s to say when a pal from back along the path chimes in. Wouldn’t it be nice for you and yours to join us this New Years?
It looks like we’ll be adding music to the doings as I’ve discovered that Paul plays guitar and everyone seems to manage to sing along. Jean
By Jean Johnson on Aug 10, 2009