Lutefisk (Minnesota)
intro
A beloved Upper Midwest holiday staple, tender lye-cured cod served with creamy nutmeg butter sauce, potatoes, and peas for a cozy Christmas feast.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and salt the fish
Remove lutefisk from its packaging, rinse thoroughly under cold running water for 2 full minutes to wash off residual lye solution. Pat completely dry with paper towels, then rub all surfaces evenly with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to draw out excess moisture and remaining lye residue.
Preheat oven and dish
Adjust your oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 23x33 cm (9x13 inch) glass baking dish with 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of the unsalted butter. Remove the salted lutefisk from the fridge, pat dry again with paper towels to wipe away drawn-out briny moisture, and arrange fillets in a single layer with 1 cm (½ inch) gaps between pieces in the prepared dish.
Bake lutefisk gently
Dot the top of the lutefisk fillets with 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of the unsalted butter, cut into small ½ cm cubes. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil to trap steam, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the fish is fully opaque, flaky at the edges, and reaches an internal temperature of 60°C (140°F) at its thickest point. Do not bake longer, as overcooking will turn the delicate fish mushy.
Cook classic sides
While the lutefisk bakes, place peeled yellow potatoes in a 3-liter medium pot, cover with cold salted water by 2.5 cm (1 inch), and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to hold a gentle simmer, and cook for 18 to 20 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender. Add the thawed green peas to the pot during the last 3 minutes of cooking to heat through, then drain completely and keep warm.
Make creamy butter sauce
While the sides cook, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons (70 grams) of unsalted butter in a 1-liter small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the all-purpose flour to form a smooth, pale roux, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to eliminate raw flour flavor. Slowly whisk in whole milk 2 tablespoons at a time to prevent lumps, then stir in ground white pepper and grated nutmeg. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
Plate and serve hot
Remove the baked lutefisk from the oven, and carefully pour off any collected pale cooking liquid from the baking dish. Divide warm lutefisk, boiled potatoes, and peas evenly across 4 pre-warmed dinner plates. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the creamy nutmeg butter sauce over each serving of lutefisk, and serve immediately while hot.
Tips
2.Avoid high-heat cooking or extended bake times for lutefisk: the lye-cured fish has a delicate, tender texture that breaks down quickly into mush if overcooked.
3.For an extra-authentic Minnesota experience, serve with a small ramekin of hot melted butter for dipping, and skip strong seasonings like garlic or paprika that overpower the fish’s mild, clean flavor.
Drove 3 hours last year to get lutefisk at a small Norwegian diner in Wisconsin and I swear this recipe tastes identical! I was so nervous to mess it up since it’s got that reputation for being tricky, but the cook time instructions were spot on. Made it for our neighborhood Nordic potluck and people were asking for the recipe before they even finished their first bite. Pro tip: don’t skip the melted butter and white pepper on top, it’s non-negotiable.
Y’all, I went into this fully expecting to hate it because I’ve heard so many jokes about jiggly fish, but my husband is 100% Norwegian and begged me to make it for our anniversary. I followed the recipe exactly, served it with butter, boiled new potatoes, and that sweet green pea stew his mom makes, and OMG it was actually delicious? The texture is way softer than regular baked fish but it wasn’t slimy at all. Total game changer, I’ll definitely be making this again next year.
This is a solid base recipe, but I added a little extra nutmeg to the butter sauce and it hit so much better for my family’s tastes. Texture was perfect, no sogginess, but I will say the 1 hour 15 minute cook time was a touch long for my thinner lutefisk fillets – mine were done right at the hour mark, so keep an eye on it if you buy thinner cuts.
Made this for our annual church Christmas dinner last Sunday and it was a smash! We had 25 people show up and the whole pan was gone in 20 minutes, even the teens who swore they ‘would never eat jiggly fish’ came back for more. I was worried because I’d only ever had lutefisk that other people made, but the step-by-step directions made it impossible to mess up. My kids loved it too, which is saying something because they turn their nose up at 90% of the fish I make.
Look, I know this is a traditional dish and all, but I just could not get past the texture. It was like eating fish jello, no matter how much butter I doused it in. The recipe instructions were clear, so I know I didn’t mess it up, it’s just not for me. My husband ate three servings though, so I guess that’s a win?
I was curious if this would hold up for meal prep and honestly? It’s not the best for leftovers. The texture gets a little rubbery when you reheat it in the microwave, even if you add extra butter. It’s absolutely incredible fresh off the baking sheet though, so I’d recommend only making as much as you plan to eat in one sitting. Great flavor, super easy to follow directions, just don’t bank on leftovers for lunch the next day.
First time making lutefisk ever for a friend’s Nordic-themed ski weekend, and I was so stressed I’d ruin it. Turns out it was way easier than I thought! The hardest part was remembering to change the soak water for a couple days before cooking. Everyone raved about it, even the guy who shows up to every potluck with just a bag of chips. 10/10, will be adding this to my winter dinner rotation.
My grandma used to make lutefisk every New Year’s Day and I haven’t had it since she passed 10 years ago. This recipe tasted exactly like hers, I actually teared up a little when I took the first bite. I served it with all the classics: boiled red potatoes, melted butter, white sauce, pickled beets, and lefse, just like she did. My teenager made a face at first but ended up eating two whole fillets. Family dinner win for the books.
Super happy this recipe is naturally gluten free! I have celiac and I’ve avoided lutefisk at potlucks for years because I was worried people added thickeners or flour to the butter sauce, but this version is just straight fish, butter, salt, and pepper. It was so nice to get to enjoy a holiday classic I’d missed out on for so long. Will be making this every Christmas from now on.
Made this for our Sunday football watch party when the Vikings played a couple weeks ago, thought it’d be a fun Minnesota-themed snack. Turned out way better than I expected! I will say, it’s definitely better as a sit-down dinner food than a finger food for a watch party, people were awkwardly holding flaky fish pieces over paper plates and dripping butter everywhere. Oops. Still tasted great though!
I made this last night and it was delicious, but quick question! My oven runs super hot so I baked it at 350 instead of 375 and it came out great, but I was wondering if there’s a trick to keeping the fish from sticking to the baking pan? I lost half a fillet to the pan even though I sprayed it with nonstick spray.
Wow, I was shocked how affordable this was to make! I found frozen lutefisk at my local grocery store for under $10 a pound, and the rest of the ingredients are just pantry staples. I fed my family of 4 for under $15 total, which is way cheaper than getting takeout fish fry on a Friday night. Will be adding this to our monthly budget meal rotation for sure.
I’ve been making lutefisk for 50 years and I have to say, this recipe is one of the best ones I’ve ever tried. Most modern recipes cut corners and skip the proper soaking step, but this one sticks to the traditional method and it makes all the difference. I brought it to our retired teachers’ potluck last week and all my friends asked for the recipe, I told them to look you up!
Y’all, I messed up the soak time SO bad. I forgot to change the water the second day and it was way too salty when I went to cook it. I panicked, rinsed it off for 20 minutes under cold water, soaked it for another 2 hours, and baked it anyway. It was still a little saltier than it should be but it was totally edible! My family still ate all of it, so I call that a win. Next time I’ll set a phone reminder to change the water, oops.
This is a great classic recipe, but I added a dash of cayenne to my melted butter for a little kick and it was insane. I know that’s totally not traditional, but if you love spicy food like I do, give it a shot! The little heat cuts through the richness of the butter so well. I’ll definitely be making it that way again, even if my Norwegian grandma would disown me if she found out.
Made this dairy free by swapping the regular melted butter for vegan butter and it worked perfectly! I was worried it wouldn’t taste right, but no one at my dinner party could even tell the difference. It’s so nice to have a traditional holiday recipe that’s easy to adapt for dairy free diets without losing any of the classic flavor. 10/10.
I grew up eating lutefisk at church suppers in Minnesota when I was a kid, and I’ve been chasing that flavor for 20 years since I moved to New York. This recipe is spot on! I found frozen lutefisk at a little Scandinavian market in Albany and it worked perfectly. Served it with lefse and meatballs, just like we did back home, and my New York-native husband is now a total convert.
I was worried this would be too complicated for a weeknight dinner, but the active prep time is only like 15 minutes! Most of the cook time is just it baking in the oven, so I was able to help my kid with homework while it cooked. It was such a nice change from our usual taco Tuesday routine, even if my kid kept making jokes about the fish jiggling when he took it out of the oven.
Took this to our office holiday potluck yesterday and it was the talk of the party! I was nervous because a lot of my coworkers had never even heard of lutefisk before, let alone tried it, but almost everyone tried a bite and most came back for more. I printed out little copies of the recipe to hand out to people who asked, hope that’s okay! This is going to be my new go-to potluck dish for holiday events.