Norwegian Lutefisk Mustard Sauce (Printable)

Tender baked Norwegian dried whitefish served with creamy mustard sauce and seasonal accompaniments.

# What You Need:

→ Fish

01 - 2.2 lbs dried cod (lutefisk)
02 - Cold water, enough to cover fish for soaking
03 - 1 tbsp coarse salt

→ Mustard Sauce

04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
05 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
06 - 10 fl oz whole milk
07 - 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
08 - 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
09 - 1 tsp sugar
10 - Salt and white pepper, to taste

→ For Serving

11 - 4 small boiled potatoes
12 - 4 slices crispbread or flatbread
13 - Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Rinse dried cod under cold water. Place in a large container and cover with plenty of cold water. Refrigerate and soak for 5 to 6 days, changing the water daily.
02 - Drain the soaked fish and sprinkle with coarse salt. Let rest for 30 minutes, then rinse off salt and pat dry with paper towels.
03 - Preheat oven to 390°F. Arrange fish pieces in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until opaque and flaky.
04 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute without browning. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in Dijon and whole-grain mustard, sugar, salt, and white pepper; adjust seasoning and keep warm.
05 - Plate hot lutefisk with boiled potatoes and crispbread or flatbread. Spoon mustard sauce generously over fish and garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The soaking softens the fish into impossibly tender flakes that practically dissolve on your tongue.
  • That creamy mustard sauce is the secret weapon—it transforms something austere into something genuinely craveable.
  • It's a dish that tells a story, one your guests will remember long after dinner ends.
02 -
  • Never skip the daily water changes during soaking—I learned this the hard way when I tried to hurry the process and ended up with fish that smelled faintly of ammonia and tasted aggressively salty no matter what I did.
  • The fish will look translucent and gelatinous when it's properly soaked, which unsettles some people at first, but that's exactly the texture that makes it so tender and forgiving when it bakes.
  • The mustard sauce comes together fastest if you have all your ingredients measured and ready before you turn on the heat.
03 -
  • If you find dried cod that's already been soaked and salted but needs only rinsing, use it—it cuts your active preparation time in half and tastes just as genuine.
  • The fish is done baking when it's opaque and the flesh pulls away from any bones easily; overcooked lutefisk turns into a regrettable paste, so start checking early and trust your fork.
Return