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Drink · Iceland
Brennivín
A grain spirit flavored with caraway, served very cold in small measures. Launched in 1935 when Iceland again allowed distilled spirits, it became the drink of Þorrablót.
Flavors · Iceland
Plokkfiskur
White cooked fish, usually cod or haddock, flaked and mixed with potato, onion, and white sauce. A classic Icelandic home dish, served with rye bread and butter.
Traditional dish from Iceland
Also known as: Plokkari
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Plokkfiskur — Iceland
Plokkfiskur is made with white fish already cooked, usually cod or haddock, flaked and mixed with potato, onion, and a creamy white sauce until it forms a thick mash.
It’s a home-style dish born from using up leftover cooked fish and potatoes. Reykjavík tourism describes it as a creamy stew of fish, potato, and onion, normally served with rúgbrauð, the Icelandic rye bread. For Perlan, Reykjavík’s nature museum, it’s one of Icelanders’ favorite comfort dishes.
At home, plokkfiskur is brought to the table straight from the pot. In restaurants, it is often baked with cheese or finished with a golden crust on top.
The classic accompaniment is a slice of rúgbrauð with plenty of butter. Ready-to-heat versions are also available.
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Where it comes from
Iceland
A common home fish dish throughout Iceland.
Ingredients
Cooked white fish (cod or haddock), potato, onion, milk, butter, wheat flour, salt, and white pepper.
How it is eaten
Served hot, with rye bread and butter; in restaurants, sometimes gratinéed.
When it is eaten
Everyday meal, at home and in traditional restaurants.
Your questions
Questions about Plokkfiskur
What is plokkfiskur?
An Icelandic dish of cooked white fish, flaked and mixed with potato, onion, and white sauce.
What do you eat plokkfiskur with?
Traditionally with rúgbrauð, the Icelandic rye bread, and butter.
What fish does plokkfiskur use?
Usually cod or haddock.
Flavors of Iceland
Discover other flavors of Iceland
Dish · Iceland
Kjötsúpa
Lamb soup cooked with potato, carrot, rutabaga or turnip and herbs in a thick broth. It’s the winter dish most closely associated with Icelandic homes, with a different recipe in every family.
Dish · Iceland
Rúgbrauð
Dark, dense, slightly sweet rye bread, baked for many hours at low, humid heat. In geothermal areas, it is baked buried in the hot ground and is called hverabrauð.
Dish · Iceland
Þorramatur
Selection of meats and fish preserved in the old-fashioned way, served at Þorrablót, the festival of the month of Þorri in midwinter. It is accompanied by rye bread, butter and brennivín.
Dish · Fiordes do Oeste
Kæst skata
Skata fermented for several weeks, cooked and served with potato, rutabaga, melted lamb tallow and rye bread. It is the dish of December 23, a custom that started in the Westfjords and spread across Iceland.
Dish · Nordeste
Laufabrauð
Very thin wheat dough discs, cut with leaf designs and fried until crisp. It is the Icelandic Christmas bread, a tradition that remained especially in the north of the country before spreading.