Back for its fourth year, 'Taste of Iceland' returns to Toronto to celebrate all things Icelandic. Highlighting the country's cuisine and vibrant music scene they've brought a bit of both. Award-winning chef Viktor Örn Andrésson shares one of his signature dishes.
Arctic char (serves four people)
- 2 Arctic char fillets (cleaned and deboned)
- 4 lemons (zest only)
- 360g sugar
- 440g salt
Method
- Mix sugar and salt together. On a tray, place the char fillets on top of half the sugar and salt mix, and sprinkle the rest of the mix over the fillets.
- Refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
- Rinse with cold water and place on a dry towel.
- Cut fish into 60 g portions and place in a vacuum bag with oil and seal tightly using a vacuum machine.
- Cook the char in hot water at 47°C for 12 min. Cool rapidly in ice water.
- Alternatively, the char can be wrapped in saran wrap and cooked sousvide at the same temperature.
Icelandic Barley
- 500g crème fraiche
- 200g green apples (cut into small cubes)
- 50g shallots (finely diced)
- 25g horseradish (grated)
- 20g dill
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
Method
Boil the barley in water with little bit of salt for about 25 minutes. Once cooked, cover pot with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. In a bowl, mix together crème fraiche, apples, horseradish, shallots and dill. Then add barley to the mixture. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice before serving.
Goat cheese creme
- 200g goat cheese
- 200g cream cheese
- 50g cream
- Vinegar, salt and sugar to taste
Method
- Melt cheese in the cream, then blend until it smooth. Season with vinegar, salt and sugar.
Rye bread crumbles
- Grate a small loaf of rye bread with a cheese grater. Spread over a baking sheet, season with oil and salt. Bake at 125°C for approx. 20 minutes.
Plating
- Spoon barley and goat cheese crème beside each other, placing char fillet on top. Garnish with rye bread crumbles and fresh dill.
