Bergensk fiskesuppe

The story

Norwegian fish soup grew out of the plain stock that coastal households made by boiling fish heads, bones and trimmings, a broth that Store norske leksikon calls an important source of nourishment along the coast. The version tied to Bergen, on the west coast, is creamy rather than clear. Cooks thicken the stock with butter and flour, add sour cream or cream, and season it with a little sugar and vinegar. The cook Lene Sæbø sums up the goal as a soup that is hearty, light and sweet-sour. The vinegar has an older story than it seems: the encyclopedia explains that a splash of it imitates the sour whey in which fish was once boiled, and that cream used to mark a finer soup. Carrot, leek and celeriac go in as thin strips, and small white fish balls are, in the encyclopedia's words, especially known in Bergen fish soup. Aase Strømstad's recipe calls for pollock heads and bones for the stock and suggests pickled pumpkin or pickled purslane on the side. In an American kitchen, cod or haddock and a good boxed fish stock work well. Set out bread or crisp flatbread, and serve the soup the moment the fish turns opaque.