I recently met up with an old friend of mine from Iceland that I haven’t met for ages. Very nice indeed and I felt transported back to old times in many ways. Not only was it nice catching up with a part of my life that I had somewhat lost touch with but it also made me look at life in Norway in another way. It made me realize that there are so many things here that I have simply grown accustomed to that used to be or should I say are a bit strange.

I have accepted and even started appreciating the excessiveness of walking in Norway.”Just around the corner” coming out of the mouth of a Norwegian is something completely different than what you would expect in both the States and Iceland. It really is a little hike. My rule of thumb is to multiply any time estimate with at least 2.2 when it comes to walking here.

Then there is the excessive need to feel safe. Bike helmets for grown-ups were a tough one for me to get used to. I still feel like an idiot wearing it but after years of being bullied into wearing one I no longer feel safe without it. At some point I must have just mutated into one of those safety freaks. It wasn’t until my friend pointed it out that I realized people here wear reflective yellow vests when they go out to walk their dog. You even see dogs wearing them sometimes. Confession: I put one on when I go out jogging at night…

Someone going out for a jog

This being safe thing really isn’t all that bad especially when it comes to food. Things tend to be more hygienic here than most places. You notice it when you go abroad at least. I think one of the most genius food product in Norway is a result of this need for clean and fresh. I am not too impressed about the Norwegian cuisine in general but they have few good things and this one is the bomb!

Salma salmon is the purest, most delicious raw salmon I have ever tried. It is the freshest form of salmon with not even a hint of that fatty, fishy taste and smell that tends to go along with salmon. It melts like butter in your mouth! Perfect for sushi and delicious in this dish that you can either eat as a light lunch or use as an appetizer.

Salma

Salma

Adapted from a Hellstrøm recipe
140 g salma
50 g Spekeskinke(Norwegian cured ham) or some other kind of cured ham like parma
¼ red onion, finely chopped
10 straws of fresh chives, finely chopped
salt flakes
black pepper, crushed
good olive oil

This should be enough as an appetizer for approx 3 people or a lunch for one.

Cut the salmon in slices and rip the spekeskinke/parma ham in pieces of approx equal sizes to the slices of salmon. Spread on a plate. Drizzle chopped red onion and chives over. Now drizzle a moderate amount of salt flakes, freshly ground black pepper, and olive oil over. You can put the salt, pepper and olive oil on the table so people can add according to taste.

Simple lunch

This isn’t really a kid friendly dish but if you want to get your kids to try you could cut the salmon bits into little Nemo fishes. It got my daughter to try one bite which was really all I was aiming for. The trick with kids is usually to get them to try things often enough and they will eventually start liking them.

Here is a shot I took with my mobile.

Nemo fish salma salmon