Fiskepudding Eller Fiskefarse

Fiskepudding Eller Fiskefarse
Norwegian Fish Pudding or Fish Balls (Dumplings)

From Time/Life's Foods of the World - The Cooking of Scandinavia, 1968:

To make an authentic Norwegian fish pudding - white, delicate and spongy in consistency - you should begin with absolutely fresh white fish. The pudding is served weekly in Norwegian homes, usually hot, with melted butter or rekesaus (shrimp sauce): http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/rekesaus_topic3222.html Cold and sliced, it is also excellent as part of an open-face sandwich.

To make 1 pudding or 60 fish balls:

1 tablespoon soft butter
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 eggs (or egg whites, if making this to go with Bergensk Fiskesuppe) to act as a binder and help hold the dumplings together.
1.5 pounds cod or haddock, skinned and boned
1/2-cup light cream and 1 cup heavy cream combined
2 teaspoons salt
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch

With a pastry brush or paper towel, spread the bottom and sides of a 1.5 -quart loaf pan or mold with 1 tablespoon of soft butter and sprinkle the mold with the 2 tablespoons of dry bread crumbs. Tip the mold from side-to-side to be sure that the crumbs are evenly distributed, then turn the mold over and knock it gently against a table or other hard surface to tap out any excess crumbs.

Cut the fish into small pieces and place a few pieces at a time in the jar of an electric blender, along with a couple of tablespoons of the combined light and heavy cream to facilitate the puréeing. Blend at high speed, turning the machine off after the first few seconds to scrape down the sides of the jar with a rubber spatula. Continue to blend, one batch at a time, until all of the fish is a smooth purée. As you proceed, use as much of the cream as you need, to form a smooth purée.

Place the puréed fish in a large mixing bowl, beat in the 2 teaspoons of salt, eggs or egg whites, and the 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch, and slowly add any of the cream that was not used in the blender, beating vigorously until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Pour it into the prepared mold and then bang the mold sharply on the table to settle the pudding and eliminate any air pockets. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a sheet of aluminum foil and seal it tightly around the top of the mold. Place the mold in a baking pan and pour into the pan enough boiling water to come 3/4 of the way up the sides of the mold. Set the pan in the middle of the oven for 1 to 1.25 hours, regulating the heat if necessary so that the water simmers but does not boil; if it boils, the pudding will have holes. When the top of the pudding is firm to the touch and a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out dry and clean, the pudding is done.

Remove the mold from the oven and let the fish pudding rest at room temperature for 5 minutes, so that it can be more easily removed from the mold. Pour off all of the excess liquid in the mold. Then run a sharp knife around the inside of the mold, place a heated platter on top of it and, holding the mold and plate together, quickly invert the two to remove the pudding from the mold. Clear the plate of any liquid with paper towels and serve the fiskepudding while still hot.

To Make Fiskefarse:



Prepare the fish in the blender as described above. Chill the puréed fish in the mixing bowl for about 30 minutes, then roll about 1 tablespoon of the fish in your hands at a time, to make 1-inch balls. Refrigerate them, covered with wax paper, until you are ready to cook them. Poach these fiskefarse by dropping them into 3 or 4 inches of barely simmering salted water for 2 or 3 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon, drain them thoroughly and serve as part of a fish soup, such as Bergensk fiskesuppe:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/bergensk-fiskesuppe_topic3216.html