Northern Sweden has not always been renowned for its innovative cuisine – after all the region is an old rustic territory, where ingredients such as cream, potatoes, milk and cheese have predominated for centuries. But many good Norrland restaurants, while remaining true to their heritage, also use seasonal ingredients in new and fresh ways.
One of these local restaurants is at the Scandic hotel in Skellefteå, where chef Alex Andersson (above) cooks delightful Västerbotten food with a modern, continental twist.
Here Alex, and the Scandic kitchen team, provide us with an exclusive luscious risotto recipe, using fresh, seasonal Norrland ingredients that can be easily cooked at home.
And, on the next page, the restaurant and bar manager, Danny Welch, complements the recipe with his own Norrland cocktail mix.
Butterfried arctic char with västerbottensost risotto and brown butter
Recipe for 4 people
This dish from Alex and the Scandic team combines arctic char (a fish close to the salmon and trout family and commonly found in arctic and subarctic coastal waters) with the internationally-acclaimed local cheese, Vasterbottensost. While the arctic char is well known and can be locally fished through the ice, Västerbottenost is made in Burträsk, 40kms south of Skellefteå, and is arguably the most famous cheese in Sweden.
These ingredients are available from supermarkets, so follow the recipe below for a truly delicious taste of the north. The recipe below is fairly simple, but you need to cook all three elements at the same time.
RISOTTO. METHOD:
Peel and finely chop the onion. Finely grate the cheese. Heat the oil and melt one small knob of butter over a low heat. Add the onions and fry gently for about 15 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the rice and turn up the heat – the rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After one minute it will look slightly translucent. Add 1dl of wine and keep stirring — it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty tang. Once the wine has cooked into the rice, turn the heat down to a simmer so the rice does not cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding spoonfuls of wine, stirring and almost massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each spoonful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 12 minutes. Carry on adding wine until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. If you run out of wine before the rice is cooked, use boiling water instead. Remove the pan from the heat, add the rest of the butter and the cheese, then stir well. Season with salt and lemon juice.
ARCTIC CHAR. METHOD:
Make sure the fillet is free from bones. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Season the fish well with salt and pepper. Cook skin side down, and leave alone. The fillets will cook from the bottom up so that the flesh stays moist while the skin gets nice and crispy. After about 4 minutes in the pan, add the butter and continue cooking the fish skin side down. Then baste the fish with butter until it’s almost cooked through.. Make sure to never turn the fish. This way you have full control of when the fish is done. Finally squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fish and serve on top of the risotto.
BROWN BUTTER. METHOD:
Heat a thick-bottomed pot on medium heat. Add the butter while whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter.
Once melted, the butter will foam up a bit, then subside. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma. Pour into a bowl to stop the butter burning. If the butter starts to blacken, dump it and start over. Chop up the onions and asparagus, and add to the warm butter just before serving it. Season with salt and the zest and juice from the lemon.
Garnish with crispy fried rye bread. Eat the completed dish while the risotto retains its sumptuous texture.
COCKTAIL: CLOUD 75
Danny Welch (above), the bar and restaurant manager for Scandic, has taken some flavours of the north and used them to turn this classic cocktail into his very own, brand new Norrland-inspired cocktail.
To complement the risotto recipe, Danny has taken a traditional French 75 cocktail and swapped out sugar syrup out for cloudberry jam to create this unique taste of the north – these berries are almost exclusively found in the northern hemisphere and Scandinavia. Cloudberries are related to the raspberry family – however these golden yellow berries are far harder to find and are one of the most sought-after berries in Sweden. Although it is better to find your own berries and create a homemade jam, you can buy a ready-made jam in large supermarkets. Mix this super simple but tasty cocktail at home for a perfect aperitif to that beautifully creamy Västerbotten cheese risotto.
METHOD:
Add the gin, lemon juice and jam into a cocktail shaker. Add one scoop of ice and shake for at least 10 seconds. You will then need to strain your gin mix into a champagne glass using a fine strainer to ensure as little jam as possible finds its way into your cocktail. Save it for the next drink! Then top up your glass with some prosecco and enjoy!
The Scandic Restaurant and Bar is a Skellefteå hidden gem. As well as an ample cocktail menu, it also offers a regularly updated a la carte menu served from 17:00 – 21:00, Monday to Saturday, with the bar open until 23:00.
Reserve a table today – 0910 752400
