Dried, Salted Fish in Denmark

I came back from Denmark just over a week ago, so it’s about time I publish those photos of dried, salted fish that I promised before I went.

I don’t think dried, salted fish is unique to Denmark, but to me they have become the symbol of summer in Denmark.

Dried, salted fish is no doubt an acquired taste and they make you thirsty like you’ve never been thirsty before, but I love them. This from a person who is not that keen on fish in general.

I’m not sure, if you can use different types of fish, but my parents always use the Dab (Limanda limanda), a small flatfish that is very common in the North Sea.

They start out by sprinkling the fish with sea salt and then leave them layered for about 20 hours. They then hang the fish outside on a line to dry for 3 to 4 days depending on how sunny and windy it is.

When the fish are dry, you simply skin the fish and eat the dried flesh that is now almost amber in colour.

Skinning the fish can be a bit difficult, in particular if the fish has turned a bit too dry. I find the best way to skin it, is to use a pocket knife to first cut along the fins on the left, turn the fish over and cut along the fins on the right. Then grab hold of the fins and gently break them away from the cut. You should then be able to pull the skin off in two gentle moves. As you can see on the photo below, it doesn’t always run that smoothly, and you’ll have to peal the skin off in small pieces.

Once skinned, I make a cut in the flesh along the backbone and use the tip of the pocket knife to dig under the flesh and pull it off the bone, bit by bit.

It can be a lengthy process to skin and eat dry fish and your hands will stink, but I know nothing better than sitting in my parents’ garden in the summer eating dried fish and washing it all down with a cold beer. My partner on the other hand would rather starve, but then all the more fish for me!

TAGS: Denmark, dried fish, travel

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