Vulkanfisk Sjomathallen ★ 4.5
Vulkanfisk Sjomathallen at Mathallen Oslo on Vulkan is the fishmonger and counter, with daily Norwegian prawn, fish soup and oysters by the half-dozen.
Try: Fish soup, Norwegian prawn
History
Norwegian prawn has been an Oslo summer ritual since the working fishing boats began selling reker straight from the deck on Rådhusbrygga in the 1920s. The Skagerrak cold-water catch is boiled in seawater at sea, the prawns are peeled by hand at the counter and eaten on dense rye bread with house mayonnaise. The harbour quay queue still forms from May through September; Solsiden has the canonical sit-down version on the Aker Brygge waterfront.
Common allergens: Crustacean, Gluten, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g cooked North Atlantic prawn in the shell (preferably sea-boiled)
- 4 thick slices dense rye sourdough
- 40g unsalted butter, softened
- 4 tbsp good mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann's or Norwegian Mills)
- 1 tbsp creme fraiche
- 1 small bunch dill, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, half juiced and half cut into wedges
- 1 small Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated
- Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Peel the prawns over a bowl, working through the pile and discarding heads and shells. You should have about 220g of peeled meat. Chill until needed.
- Stir the mayonnaise, creme fraiche, half the dill and a squeeze of lemon together. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Butter the rye slices to the very edges; the butter is what stops the bread going soggy.
- Lay a leaf of lettuce on each slice. Pile the prawns high in a dome, about 55g per slice.
- Spoon over the dill mayonnaise, scatter the remaining dill on top and finish with a grind of black pepper.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side and eat with a knife and fork. Best with cold pilsner or aquavit.
Tip from the editors. Buy prawns in the shell, not pre-peeled; the salty brine on the shell is half the flavour and the peeling is the whole point. Eat the same day.
Where to eat norwegian prawn (reker)
Norwegian prawn (reker) in Oslo
Lofoten Fiskerestaurant ★ 4.3
Lofoten Fiskerestaurant at the tip of Aker Brygge on Stranden serves Norwegian fish and shellfish through a menu that changes four times a year.
Signature: Plateau des fruits de mer, Norwegian halibut and king crab
Order: Plateau des Fruits de Mer with crab, mussels, prawn and lobster.
Tip: Sunset tables on the south terrace book first; off-season Sundays have the easier seating.
Solsiden Restaurant ★ 4.5
Solsiden on Akershusstranda below Akershus Fortress runs a May-to-September seafood-only kitchen, with the Plateau des Fruits de Mer as the room's signature.
Signature: Plateau des fruits de mer, Whole grilled Norwegian fish
Order: Plateau des Fruits de Mer with crayfish in season.
Tip: Open May to September only; the sunset west tables sell first.
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