Lutefisk is traditionally served with potatoes, root vegetables and butter.

Lutefisk ready for the oven

Lutefisk Pudding

Cook up a Memory

Kelly Wambach

The pleasing and familiar smells of the holidays are everywhere. Pumpkin spice, hot spiced cider, a freshly cut Christmas tree … and, of course, a big platter of steaming hot lutefisk. For many of us, these are pleasing reminders of the holiday season and the festive gatherings we share with friends and family.
I grew up in Georgetown, Minnesota, and am of mostly German and Irish decent – no Scandinavian blood line that we can trace back so far. Where my taste for lutefisk came from, I’m not sure, since it’ s largely considered a Scandinavian dish. I guess when in Rome you do as the Romans do!
One of the first general stores established in Georgetown was by the Norwegian family of Mrs. Frida Randa in the latter part of the 1800s. Coming into the old store, you entered first into a small, unheated entryway. This is where the big waxed cardboard barrel of lutefisk (and the smell that came with it) was stored during the holiday season. You ordered your fish from Mrs Randa, who fished it out of the barrel by hand, weighed it, and then wrapped it tightly in waxed butcher’s paper. Today lutefisk is sold tightly sealed in pre-portioned amounts, ready to cook and eat.
Lutefisk is found locally in many of our major grocery stores throughout the holiday season. The price you’ll pay today is a far cry from the 45 cents a pound you see in the 1966 photo of my little brother on Grandpa’s grocery store scale. Expect to pay something closer to $10 a pound for this seasonal delicacy. Although you might find a church or two that may still be serving their traditional lutefisk and meatball dinner, your chances are getting fewer every day as the holiday season comes to a close.
Once a year, Dad would prepare the traditional lutefisk dinner for us boys and our grandparents, while my mom and little sister sat in the living room munching on something like lasagna or meatballs. Mom insisted that a sheet be hung between the two rooms to help keep the smell contained to the kitchen.
There are two ways to cook your lutefisk. The traditional way is wrapping it in cheesecloth and boiling it or baking it in the oven. I prefer baking it with salt and pepper and lots of real BUTTER! It seems to be a little less aromatic and holds together better for me than the boiling method.
Baking or boiling will take approximately 20 to 40 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Both will depend on the size of your pieces. Bake at 375 degrees. A slow boil or simmer is best if you choose to boil. Watch carefully. Side dishes usually include boiled or mashed potatoes and a root vegetable such as carrots or rutabega, plus more BUTTER or a light cream sauce!
And lefse, of course.
In the rare event there happens to leftover fish, the Norwegians have come up with a way to extend this seasonal treat: Pudding! It’s not what you might think. Lutefisk Pudding is more a cousin to meatloaf or a salmon loaf than what we may typically think of as pudding.
This recipe was given to me years ago by Eleanor, a beautiful and proud Norwegian lady who married into our family and brought with her some of the traditional Norwegian dishes she grew up with.
Lutefisk Pudding
1 cup uncooked rice
1 quart whole milk
2 large eggs beaten
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2-plus cups cooked lutefisk (bones and skin removed, and cut into bite sized pieces)
Cook rice in milk until swollen and tender. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into buttered baking dish and bake one hour. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. Cut and serve with lots of melted butter or cream sauce.
(I might try this in a crockpot this year.)
“Cook up a memory” and remember – “The most important ingredient in a recipe is the memory it conjures.”