Herring is, of course, still a part of Icelandic cooking, but there are other fish in these waters, and some of the best are making their way onto the menus of Reykjavík’s young chefs, many of whom have traveled extensively abroad and have brought home new cooking methods and ingredients to spice up what is given to them by the sea. At the restaurant Örn Jónsson runs at the university, chef Jóhann Jóhannsson prepares a thin-sliced monkfish that is coated with a Dijon mustard crust before being seared and served at room temperature with a chile sauce. Ocean-catfish cheeks are marinated in garlic- and sesame-seed-infused oil, then sautéed and accompanied by greens from local producers’ hothouses. Smoked haddock in a horseradish cream sauce is followed by delicious cod gills soaked in a curry marinade, then dipped in a thick egg batter and sautéed. To end the meal on a fresh, cool, note, Jóhannsson offers a bowl of homemade skyr (a glorious, fresh, yogurtlike cheese made from skimmed milk) ringed with crème anglaise, blueberries, and mint.
With little culinary tradition to adhere to, chefs like Siggi Hall feel free to play with new flavors and invent traditions of their own. Hall features wonderful native produce at his namesake restaurant, in such dishes as lamb served rare with a wild blueberry sauce and sprigs of arctic thyme; skate with a basil-infused butter sauce; or his signature creation of Catalan-style salt cod, braised in red wine with tomatoes and bell peppers.
Iceland is rich with terroir and with opportunities to taste the connections among earth, water, and food. There may be no other place where we can encounter an environment this pure as we discover the pleasures of a cuisine in the making.
Edible Iceland
For hverabraud, visit Heilsukostur restaurant, about 28 miles from Reykjavík (Breijumörk 21, Hveragerdi; 483-5010). Gamli Baerinn (“The Old Farm”) restaurant, Hótel Reynihlid (660 M´yvatn; 464-4270). Restaurant Siggi Hall at Odinsveum (Thórsgata 1, 101 Reykjavík; 511-6677). Ingolfur Gudnason’s Engi Herb Farm (Laugarási, Bláskógabygg 801, Selfoss). Herring Era Museum (Snorragata 15 IS-580, Siglufjördur; 467-1604). Iceland Tourist Board (212-885-9700; icelandtouristboard.com).
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