mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
“Skate always holds its own. The tradition endures even as new generations come along,” says Viktor Örn Andrésson, head chef at the restaurant Brasa in Turninn at Smáratorg in Kópavogur. Yesterday, he was preparing today’s buffet, where skate takes centre stage, as is customary today on Þorláksmessa (St Thorlak’s Mass), named after Iceland”s Patron saint.
“This is a generous spread; I ordered 100 kilos of skate and the same amount of tusk. I also have salt cod. This is a celebration, and we’re expecting many guests for the meal,” says Andrésson, who appears in the photo on the right, alongside Birkir Freyr Guðbrandsson. Yesterday they were checking the fish and had already prepared the melted tallow, suet, potatoes, and turnips.
A tradition rooted in fishing yields
In the past, it was considered proper to exercise restraint in all kinds of food during Advent, while indulging during Christmas, in keeping with traditions from Catholic practice. As a result, more modest fish dishes were often served in the run-up to Christmas, such as skate, which was readily caught on the fishing grounds off the Westfjords at this time of year. Good fishing yields are therefore the reason this tradition has its roots in the west of the country.