Lutefisk: Love it or leave it? on Owatonna

OWATONNA — It’s that time again: Lutefisk season is upon us.

Minnesotans have a complicated relationship with lutefisk, lefse’s ugly step sister. Depending on who you ask, the lye-soaked fish is the most beloved or reviled cod concoction from Norway.

Just ask Lorraine Hanson, a master lutefisk maker whose recipe has been a standard in the Trinity Lutheran cookbook since 1986. Hanson refuses to eat the fish.

“I tried it three different times,” Hanson said. “Then I said, this is not for me. I’ll eat the meatballs.”

Lutefisk is a labor of love for Hanson, who has made the fish dish for 40 years. Though she has a long history with the dish, she says her talent didn’t come naturally.

Hanson reluctantly picked up the art of cooking lutefisk after she married her late husband Ron, a Lutheran of Danish-Norwegian heritage. Hanson’s maiden name was Warsinski. She grew up in the Polish Catholic Church.

At first, Hanson would have little to do with lutefisk.

“When I was young I rebelled. But there were a lot of things that he loved and I was trying to be a good Polish wife. I think his mother urged me to learn it.”

After about 20 years of marriage, Hanson relented and learned to make lutefisk. Gradually, Hanson perfected the dish.

“The first time I made anything it was terrible. The first time I made homemade bread I could have killed someone with it, but you know, you keep trying,” Hanson said.

Saturday, Hanson and Blooming Prairie resident Jennifer Milton detailed the ins and outs of the delicate and difficult dish.

Modern cooks are spared the most odious part of the process. In the good old days, lutefisk lovers had to buy dehydrated cod and soak it in lye for about 12 days. Now, you can buy the fish “pre-luted” and ready to go.

However, the fish still needs a good soaking in salt or ice water to make the final product firmer, Milton and Hanson said. The fish must soak for a few hours or overnight.

After that, cooks can boil or bake it.

Milton prefers the former.

“You bring the water to a boil and then put your fish in. When it comes back to a boil, check it,” Milton said. “If you can put your fork through it, it’s done. It doesn’t take very long.”

Hanson bakes her lutefisk in a bag so the fish “doesn’t smell up the house.” After tying the bag, she puts slits in the top to let the fish breath, then bakes it at 375 to 400 degrees Farenheit for 15 minutes. After time is up, Hanson tests the fish with her finger to see if it’s the right consistency.

“If it’s hot and firm get it out of there,” Hanson said.

Whatever the method, cooks must be vigilant. After a certain point, the longer the fish is heated the less firm it will be.

“You don’t want it to get into a jellied state. Even a lutefisk lover doesn’t like that,” Hanson said. “You’ve got to really watch it that last five minutes.”

Milton agreed.

“If you cook it too long it gets slimy or like wallpaper paste,” Milton said.

Once done serve immediately with drawn butter. Here again, promptness is key.

“When I tell you to get to the table you better get there right away, because when it’s done you better serve it right now. It can get mushy or liquidy otherwise,” Hanson said.

The taste of lutesfisk is difficult to describe to those who have never tried it. The final product is translucent, both flaky and somewhat gelatinous. When asked what was most appealing about it, Milton answered in one word: Butter, lots and lots of butter.

Unlike Hanson, lutefisk is a part of Milton’s ethnic heritage. She finds that the dish brings back fond memories of Christmas Eve at her grandmother’s house.

Milton’s great-grandmother was the first to immigrate to the U.S. from Norway. Though the Norse formed a sizeable minority, Norwegian immigrants were less numerous in Steele County when compared to other areas of Minnesota. According to the 1938 book “Owatonna” by Edgar Wesley, Germans constituted the largest foreign group at the time of every census. Czechs came in second. Norwegians and Danes ran a close race for third place.

In Blooming Prairie, First Lutheran Church is keeping their Norwegian forebear’s lust for lutefisk alive. Milton cooks lutefisk for the church’s annual supper in October, a task she took on four years ago. Lutefisk suppers used to be common, Milton said, but the tradition seems to be fading fast.

“Other little rural churches used to have them but I think a lot of them are stopping because it’s a lot of work to do a dinner and every year the attendance goes down about 100,” Milton said. “Ours has the last few years.”

Milton is not sure what is behind declining attendance, but it could be that lutefisk is an acquired taste that is hard to pass on.

“Kids don’t like it. Most of the lutefisk eaters are older,” Milton said. “If you were brought up on it and you had to eat it, you’ll like it. But if not, you probably won’t.”

The church will probably keep at it for the next couple years, but it’s very labor intensive. Milton said it’s hard to find volunteers for all the manual tasks involved like peeling potatoes and wrapping the fish in cheese cloth. This time around the church ladies made 5,000 meatballs.

“I hope it can continue,” Milton said. “It’s a fun day.”

Clare Kennedy can be reached at 444-2376.

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Member Opinions: By: secretsquirrel on 11/29/09 Well this explains a half century mystery to me. I always thought the stuff was SUPPOSED to be like boiled Cosmoline and about as tasty. It reminded me of the Cosmoline scum we had to boil off new parts and rifles. By: atlascollapsed on 11/29/09 I vote leave it! By: dogpyles on 11/29/09 Ain't sure 'bout the comsoline stuff but lips that touch lutefisk will never touch mine. By: Tiny on 11/29/09 All the places you guys been and all the stuff you ate,come on!! not that bad!!lol grew up on it, depends who and how it is cooked!!!yummmmm!!!!!! By: secretsquirrel on 11/29/09 Norwegian kimchi... By: atlascollapsed on 11/29/09 Squirrel, while kimchi smells worse at least it tastes great. Nothing like kimchi you get in Korea! By: secretsquirrel on 11/29/09 I have a confession to make: I never ate Korean kimchi while sober. My only memories of kimchi came from the morning after lots of OB and I think that the other guys in my detachment remember my kimchi bouts too... I earned the dubious nickname of OB 2 on those mornings. =( By: NealJorgensen on 11/30/09 Lutefisk and Chitterlings are much alike in the fact that if you smell them before you eat them, you may never like them, but if you taste before you smell, they can be quite a treat. I’m a fan of both. By: trueblue on 11/30/09 Lutefisk in the lefsa with a touch of brown sugar. Then let the melted butter run all the way down your arm. A true professional would know this! By: anonymousbikerdude on 12/1/09 Oh man, this was the one topic I thought we would all agree on. I'm a proud Norwegian and a voracious indiscriminate eater, but please LEAVE the lutefisk behind!
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