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