Horngjel/Nebbsild/Garfish/Belone Belone (Saltvann)

Horngjel er en lang fisk med mange grønne bein. Den er vanlig langs norskekysten, men det drives lite kommersielt fiske etter den i Norge, og det finnes så vidt meg bekjent heller ingen oppdrett av arten. Horngjel, som regnes som god matfisk, har et høyt innhold av fett i buken, dette kan man plukke ut med fingrene slik dere ser jeg har gjort på bilde#2. Dette fettet kan stekes og siles, oljen som da trekkes ut er en fantastisk base til fiskesaus. Min antakelse er at Horngjel ikke er så populær her til lands pga den er vanskelig å jobbe med. Det er mye bein i forhold til fisk, og beinene er så tynne at det er vanskelig å få bort mer enn et par av gangen. Møysommelig arbeid med andre ord. Kjøttet er grålig. Smaken er som en litt tørrere variant av makrell. Skinnet har noen skjell som det er greit å fjerne. Stekes et par minutter på skinnsiden, snus, og er klar etter noen sekunder på kjøttsiden.


- filet av Horngjel
- julesalat og sukkerertespirer
- samsøpotet, blåpotet og mandelpotet
- sjallotløk
- saus av ingefærøl og smør



pris: ca 100,-/kg
komfort: tålmodighetsprøve, for viderekomne
smak: 5/10

Rognkall/Lumpfish/Cyclopterus Lumpus (Saltvann)

Denne fisken er for de fleste nordmenn kjent som "rognkjeks", men det er kun hunkjønnene av arten som er rognkjeks, hannene, som er slankere og har noe mer verdi som matfisk, kalles Rognkall. Rognkallen kan fåes på sommerhalvåret langs norsekysten, men er en heller uvanlig fisk her til lands. Den har et tykt spekklag som omkranser hele kroppen, dette er blåaktig og har lite smak, men hjelper å holde kjøttet supersaftig under tilberedning. På ryggen har den en pukkel av fett som minner om gele, denne kan brukes til å lage kraft eller steke inn i smør og øl/hvitvin til en god saus. Fisken er enkel å filetere, så sant man ikke vil fjerne alt fettet før den skal tilberedes. Den har en solid og god lever som regnes som en delikatesse. Dampkokes Rognkall vil kjøttet være lett å dele fra fettet. Med fettsiden ned kan fisken stekes/dampes meget lenge, og jo mer tid, jo mer smak, er min opplevelse.


- filet av 1 middels stor Rognkall
- gul løk
- potet
- champignong
- saus av hveteøl og fetaost



pris: 40-70 pr stk
komfort: lett å filetere og tilberede, minimalt med bein
smak: 10/10

Ustripet Pelamide/Plain Bonito/Orcynopsis Unicolor (Saltvann)

Bonito, which of course translates into beautiful in italian, is a small order of tuna fish, evident by the dark meat along the main bone. It is a fish that travels great distances in schools, but is rarely found as far up north as in Norway. 

It's easy to filet and cook in a good manner. and there is a lot of meat vs entrails and bones in each fish. The filets in the photo have been fiddled with a bit too much, but thats due to me and my clumsiness alone. Many of the bones are thin and bendable, so a delicate touch is desired when working with it. It handles a good temperature while cooking and is rarely dry. All in all a robust and characterful meaty fish which demands some hearty neighbours on the plate.

- summer cabbage with white wine vinegar

- bacon

- bonito-filet

price: 5-8£ a piece

comfort: could be eaten with a spoon

flavour: 8/10

Makrell/Mackerell/Scomber Scombrus (Saltvann)

Makrell is a very popular fish species here in Norway, and most of us know how to traditionally fry it in a iron pan. These are done a bit differently. My best tip is to choose the smaller mackerels early in the season, these are called pir in Norway, and I find the taste much superior. Another tip is to put the mackerel a couple of hour in the freezer before filleting it. This makes it much easier to handle, and the bones will fall apart from the skin. I've damped my mackerel on top of some grains, which after a couple of minutes is super tender and juicy.

- filet of 2 pir

- sunflower seedd and pearl barley

- chioggia beets squared
- applevinegar

price: 5-7£ a kg
comfort: piece of cake
flavour: 9/10

Tilapia/Oreochromis Niloticus (rød) (Ferskvann, Brakkvann og Saltvann)

This red tilapia was a bit bigger than the previous black one, but other than that they're pretty much unseparable on the palate. Quite some bones which one needs to get rid of, thankfully its an easy job. Its long and thick bones however, makes it a challenge getting the bottom meat separated. The best and easiest part of the fish is the top filets. It needs quite some spice and salt as it's a bit watery and bland flavour. I've however heard that when the Tilapia reaches a certain size, the meat quality starts decreasing. Cook with the skin on as it easily disintegrates. Not a lot of value for money, as most of the fish is lost in the preparation, also I'm far from sure about what they're fed and what medication they get in the fishing farms. It's not endangered in the wild, and there's a lot of farming going on.


- sweet potato
- onion
- chorizo
- tilapia filets
- apple vinegar


price: 4-8£ a piece
comfort: top filets are easy, the rest is hard
flavour: 6/10

Tilapia/Oreochromis Niloticus (sort) (Ferskvann, Brakkvann og Saltvann)

Tilapia is a fresh water fish which is widely spread throughout the world, bust mot so in the north of Africa. It's a herbivorous fish, and could easily be a favourable art for other species in its ecosystem.  Tilapia has a healthy wild stock, and is also heaviy farmed. When there's 100's different tilapia species and none of them are locally bound, most of them are beads made of same characters. The meat is middle fat, which actually makes it finished by 5 or less minutes on the grill. This equates to the black tilapia alone. It's an easy species to handle, but thread carefully. The fish has good flavour, and is best if cooked at a low heat.

- onion
- pak choi
- sweet sauce with lime juice and red chilli
- filet of Tilapia

Price: 5-10£ a piece (sizes may vary)
Comfort: comfortable, yet little meat should do it precaucious
Flavour: 7/10

Ilish/Hilsa/Tenualosa Ilisha (Ferskvann og Brakkvann)

Ilish or Hilsa, also known under several other names, is a popular fish in the pilchard family eaten in greater parts of asia. Mine was caught in Myanmar aka Burma. This fish is 600-800 grams of weight, and at such big for a pilchard fish. It holds a bit of fat and some chew, and is somehow fairly priced. Personally I have two bothers about both buying and eating this fish. The first is that its full of bones throughout which leaves very little clean meat. Other than that its a fish bwhich population is declining due to heavy fishery. I have no idea how much information there is about the Ilish population in Myanmar, but its worth mentioning that Bangladesh, where the fish is most sought after, banned export of the species in 2012.

- Hilsa filet

- Chilli noodles
- White wine vinegar

Price: 3-6£ per fish
Comfort: Hard work because all the bones, maximum of 2 min fry time each side
Flavour: 6/10

Havabbor/Seabass/Dicentrarchus Labrax (Saltvann/Brakkvann/Ferskvann)

This is some farmed seabass from Greece. Seabass is a popular choice at the fishmongers although, at least in Norway, I find it to be more often on the restaurant menues than in the family homes. The fish is mor popular on the other side of the North Sea, and ion the south of europe. It's an easy fish to work with, with good structure in the meat, few bones and small fish scales which doesn't bother me at all. Despite its name, this spesies is also known to be located in some rivers. Its widely mass-produced through fish farming, yet wildly its not endangered in any way. Enjoy this as a light surf'n'turf with sides of meat and salad.

- fried bacon

- salad

- filet of Seabass

price: 15-20£ a kg

comfort: Easy ro work with, easy to cook right

flavour: 8/10

Bangus/Milkfish/Chanos Chanos (Saltvann & Ferskvann)

Bangus, or Milkfish as they say in America, are a popular fish on the philippines, where it is considered to be a national treasure Bangus. Although I'm unsure it will ever face the same popularity in Europe. It's a very lean fish so dangers are it will become dry quickly when cooked. It has a ridiculous amount of bones, which makes it a laboriously task to debone. There are some videos on youtube showing the technicalities of which it should be done, but I neither have the time nor interest of learning it. Unless I'm planning on eating it again of course. It's just a mess of bones and lacking in flavour. Traditionally its grilled, and on the philippines there exists a healthy farming of the species. Bangus is a fish that thrives in both fresh and salt water, which leaves me with the hope that there are other varieties of the species with more desirable flavour profiles.


- Milkfish filet
- fried parsnip


Price: 2-5£ a fisk
Comfort: Hard to handle right, even harder to cook right
Flavour: 2/10

Red Snapper/Yelloweye Rockfish/Sebastes Ruberrimus (Saltvann)

There's a big scale of commercial fishing going on after snappers worldwide today, and the fish family itself has a lot of sought after varieties. This one is, where I live, simply called Red Snapper. I'm not sure if its the same as the Northern Red Snapper, which is quite popular on the northern american continent. This is a very comfortable fish to handle, with few and small bones, small fishscales and fatty meat which endures a bit of cooking without going dry. There's a lot of lfavour and it reminds me of cusk or seabream. This is that good, it only needs a simple salad as a side. A fish that demands little and will satisfy many, is not endangered as I'm aware of although shrimp fishing catches more snappers than its population will be able to sustain over time. 

- Filet of Red Snapper
- Chinese cabbage, red paprika and corn

Price: 4-8£ pr fisk
Comfort: Easy to handle, easy to cook.
Flavour: 9/10