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Icelandic · Scandinavian

Plokkfiskur

Non-vegetarian

Flaked poached cod and potatoes folded into a peppery white sauce with soft onions. Icelandic home cooking at its most comforting, traditionally eaten with buttered rye bread.

Plokkfiskur is an Icelandic main course, ready in about 50 minutes and made with cod and potato. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Plokkfiskur fish and potato gratin in an oval dish with rye bread
Photo: Jasnaah / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
424

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Boil the potatoes (opens in a new tab) in salted water until tender, then drain and cut into rough chunks.

    Potatoes boiling in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Lionel Ntasano on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, cover the fish with lightly salted water in a pan, bring to a bare simmer and poach until it just flakes. Lift out and break into large flakes, removing any bones.

    • 8 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Fish is done when opaque all the way through (63 °C).

  3. Step 3

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a wide saucepan (opens in a new tab) and soften the onion (opens in a new tab) without browning. Stir in the flour for a minute, then whisk in the milk (opens in a new tab) gradually and simmer until thick and smooth.

    • 8 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Season the sauce with the salt and plenty of white pepper (opens in a new tab). Fold in the fish and potatoes (opens in a new tab), mashing lightly so the mixture is chunky rather than smooth, and heat through.

    • 4 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Scatter with chives (opens in a new tab) and serve with buttered rye bread (opens in a new tab).

      Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
      How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Iceland · Well documentedA long-standing Icelandic way of using leftover boiled fish and potatoes.More food from Iceland
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Stews & braises
    Cooking method
    Boiled, Poached, Simmered
    Taste
    mild, creamy, peppery
    Diet
    Pescatarian · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Everyday · Budget-friendly · Uses leftovers · Child-friendly
    Cook more with
    Cod · Potato · Butter · Onion · All-purpose flour · Milk
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering · Poaching

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, rye bread
    • Contains: Fishfrom cod
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, rye bread
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, rye bread
    • May contain: Soyfrom rye bread
    • May contain: Sesamefrom rye bread

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    424 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 451 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 32%
    • Carbohydrate 36%
    • Fat 31%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy424 kcal94 kcal
    Protein34.1 g7.6 g
    Carbohydrate38.4 g8.5 g
    Net carbohydrate34.6 g7.7 g
    Sugars7.6 g1.7 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre3.9 g0.9 g
    Fat14.7 g3.3 g
    Saturated fat8.6 g1.9 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol102 mg23 mg
    Sodium944 mg209 mg
    Salt equivalent2.4 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1443 mg
    Calcium
    170 mg
    Iron
    2.2 mg
    Magnesium
    97 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    151 µg
    Vitamin C
    33 mg
    Vitamin D
    2.7 µg
    Vitamin B12
    1.8 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    61 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: chives, rye bread.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Leftover boiled fish and potatoes are the traditional starting point — this is a thrifty dish.
    • Be generous with the pepper; it is the main seasoning.

    Common mistakes

    • Over-stirring turns it into a paste — fold gently so some flakes and potato chunks remain.

    Serve with

    • Dense, sweet rúgbrauð (rye bread) with butter is the classic partner.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days.

    Reheating

    • Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of milk.

    Variations

    • Gratinated plokkfiskur: Spread in a dish, top with grated cheese and bake until golden.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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