Best Swedish Seafood Types
Kalix Löjrom is the roe of a small vendace fish swimming off the coast of Kalix in Northern Sweden. The roe must be hand extracted from the fish on the same day it was caught, and it is then thoroughly rinsed, dried and salted. The final product is orange-colored due to the unique feeding habits of vendace fish, and it has a subtly salty flavor reminiscent of fish oil.
Kalix Löjrom can be enjoyed on its own, but it is most commonly served on rye bread with sour cream and chopped red onions. Other variations may include prawns, avocado or potato cakes.
Baltic herring (lat. Clupea harengus membras) is a subspecies of the Atlantic herring, but it is smaller and lives in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. It is a schooling fish that feeds on zooplankton and small crustaceans, and typically reaches only 5.5 to 7 inches (14 to 18 cm) in length.
It is a staple food source in the Baltic region, featuring in dishes like smoked herring and salads.
Lumpfish roe is one of the more available roe varieties, and it is usually reasonably priced. It is harvested from lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus), which is mostly found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. The natural color of the roe can vary, though it is usually pale gray or dusty pink.
However, most producers opt for artificial coloring to attain appealing red or black hues. The beads are small, mildly-flavored, briny, and subtly sweet. Lumpfish roe is an excellent addition to appetizers, salads, soups, or seafood-based main dishes.
Surströmming is a fermented fish product made with strömming, a type of herring, sourced from the cold waters of the Baltic Sea, usually in spring. The fish is salted, cleaned, and allowed to ferment before being canned. This herring is defined by a rather distinctive and strong odor that results from its fermentation process, which is initiated by a type of lactic acid enzyme in the herring’s spine and it doesn’t cease even after the fish has been canned.
Despite its strong smell, the fermented herring has an interesting flavor that is a perfect mix of piquant, savory, and acidic. There’s also an annual surströmming festival (surströmmingsskiva) in Alfta, Halsingland, which traditionally takes place on the third Thursday in August, when a significant number of enthusiastic Swedes and fans of this fermented fish delicacy gather to savor the contents of numerous bulging cans of surströmming.
Glasmästarsill is a traditional Swedish-style preparation of pickled herring. This classic has a crunchier texture than other types of pickled herring because the bones are kept in the fish. The bones become softer for each day they remain in the preserving liquid.
Glasmästarsill is prepared with whole salted herrings, onions or leeks, carrots, and horseradish, while the pickling liquid usually consists of vinegar, sugar, water, bay leaves, allspice berries, and mustard seeds. However, every Swedish cook has their own favorite mixture, so feel free to experiment.
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