Speaking of lutefisk

Former Klub President, Bill Martinson, shared a folk story about how lutefisk came to be. In short, a house with stockfish burned down, the fish got covered with ashes, rain made the lye slush. To try to save the fish and make it edible, they washed it, boiled it, ate it and liked it.

My grandmother, Enger Fosse, prepared her lutefisk as they had been doing in Norway. The Fosses ordered their fish from Detroit in late fall or just before Christmas. They usually ordered 100 pounds of herring, as they liked it so very much. They also ordered white fish and, of course, cod for lutefisk. 

In Norwegian, “lute” means lye and “fisk” means fish. The Fosses ordered dried cod, but you had to “lye” it yourself. It came thin like paper. It was less expensive and they liked it better. Fresh lutefisk comes already “lyed.”

Making the lye 

Enger Fosse always made her own lye for the lutefisk. They collected a certain type of wood from down by the river and had to burn the wood for more than a day to get enough ashes to make the lye. After enough ashes were collected, Enger made a nest out of branches and straw. Next, this was filled with ashes. A pot was set under to catch the drippings and hot water was poured over the ashes to make the lye come out.

The dried cod was first soaked in water. Then it was placed in a salt and lye brine. This caused the thin, dried cod to expand to about two inches thick. The lye puffed it up. Before cooking, it needed to be soaked overnight in a salt brine to rinse out the lye and firm the lutefisk up for cooking. This lutefisk Enger Fosse made was the best ever! It was snow white, nice and thick.

This is how my mother prepared lutefisk  

Buy fresh or frozen lutefisk. This has already been lyed. Soak the lutefisk overnight in salt water (enough salt to make the water taste salty). This sets the lutefisk, so it won’t cook to pieces. Leave it in the salt water until ready to cook. Then drain the water off.  

Dip the lutefisk into a kettle of boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil and cook it for about five minutes more or until done. 

To serve, pass melted butter, which is poured over the lutefisk on your plate before eating. It is usually served with boiled potatoes, meatballs with gravy, vegetables and lefse. At Fosses, this was their traditional Christmas Eve supper.

Needless to say, this and other stories, which have been recorded and saved, add much to our family histories. It’s enjoyable to reminisce and recall happenings from the past and also the present. Write it down, and over the years, it will be greatly appreciated by your family.

Marilyn Messner is both an active member and cultural director at the Sons of Norway Kringen Lodge in Fargo. Want to learn more about Scandinavian culture, how to become a member, or just to keep up with the haps at the lodge? Visit sofnfgo.org.