It began as a way to stretch leftovers — yesterday's boiled fish and potatoes mashed together rather than thrown out.
Boiled cod or haddock is flaked and mashed together with potatoes, onion, and a creamy white sauce, then served warm with dark rye bread on the side. It's a fixture on lunch menus at Reykjavik cafés and canteens, especially in colder months.
Why it's made this way: Plokkfiskur grew out of frugal Icelandic kitchens turning leftover boiled fish into a second meal, and Reykjavik's café culture has kept that homely, no-waste dish on menus even as the city's food scene has modernized around it.
Roughly what's in it
290kcal
22gprotein
24gcarbs
11gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.