The fish pan is a Reykjavik restaurant signature: the catch of the day, usually cod, char or trout, pan-fried in butter and served sizzling in a cast-iron skillet with potatoes and vegetables.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
While not an ancient dish, the fiskipanna became a Reykjavik institution through the seafood restaurant Messinn, which built its reputation on serving the day's catch in a hot cast-iron pan. It plays to Iceland's great strength, fish landed hours earlier, cooked simply in butter so the freshness carries. The format spread across the city's seafood rooms and is now one of the most ordered dishes for visitors wanting Icelandic fish without a tasting-menu commitment.
Common allergens: Fish, Milk
Messinn on Laekjargata built its name on the fish pan, fresh catch fried in butter and served sizzling in a cast-iron skillet to half of Reykjavik.
Signature: Fish pan, Pan-fried Arctic char
Order: A fish pan, the cast-iron skillet of butter-fried catch with potatoes.
Tip: Lunch is the value sitting and the room is small, so arrive early or expect a wait at dinner.
Fish Company, Fiskfelagid in Icelandic, cooks Reykjavik's most awarded seafood in the 1884 Zimsen house, a five-course menu of local fish landed that day.
Signature: Five-course seafood menu
Order: The five-course gourmet menu, which changes with the day's catch.
Tip: Voted the Grapevine's best seafood for over a decade. The downstairs room under the bridge is the one to book.
Kopar sits over the water at the Old Harbour on Geirsgata, a Reykjavik seafood room that leans on local langoustine and cod with vegan plates too.
Signature: Langoustine, Cod
Order: The langoustine, or the signature cod with whatever is in season.
Tip: Ask for a window table over the harbour. Lunch is the cheaper way into the same kitchen.
More cities are in research. Want fiskipanna (icelandic fish pan) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.