Bacalao from Fiskeriet, the best fish restaurant in Oslo.
In what used to be an old fishmonger there is a kitchen no bigger than a toilet. This is where you get the best fish meals in Oslo.
Fiskeriet is the name of the combined restaurant and fishmonger. It was established in 2010 in what used to be one of the city’s oldest fishmongers that closed its doors after 75 years of business. People grieved. Although Norway is a nation of fishing, fishmongers in Oslo are as rare as the sea horses in the ocean. On the same premises as the old fishmonger there arose a modern fishmonger inspired by the food halls of Southern Europe. Sit in the bar and have a glass of wine while you wait for your mussels marinara to finish or ponder on what seafood to buy.
From a kitchen the size of a small toilet, the loveliest dishes appear. The menu is short with Nordic dishes such as bacalao, shrimps with mayonnaise and fish soup. In addition there is always mussels and probably the best fish and chips in town. If you love smoked fish Fiskeriet has their own smokery. This is one of the best value restaurants in Oslo, and if you choose the take-away it is simply a bargain.
Fiskeriet is a fishmonger with a sustainable profile: Their slogan is “Game from the sea!” Hence they focus on wild fish, not farmed and preferably line-caught, not caught by trawling. However on their facebook site they advertise bluefin tuna, one of the most endangered species in the world, and they also sell rose fish (uer), a species on the red list. How is this possible?
I send them an e-mail and they explain they only sell bluefin tuna twice a year from a Friends of the sea-certified fish farm in Spain. The rose fish, they point out, is bycatch. I get a thorough answer as to why line-cought fish is more ethical than trawling. This is because it causes less bycatch and does not destroy the seabed. Also, the quality of the fish is better. I am told, and this was a great surprise to me, that the ocean is filled with ”ghost nets” from prior fishing that catches fish years after.
The kitchen at Fiskeriet is no bigger than a toilet, still it churns out the loveliest dishes.
View to Youngstorget, the political square in Oslo.
A glass of wine and or shrimps to bring home?
Salmon burger while gazing at people passing by? The building that used to seat the Norwegian Prime Minister (the tallest building in the picture), is also visible from here. It was the main target of the terrorist attack in July 2011, and is just an empty shell today.
Fiskeriet is centrally located in downtown Oslo at the Youngstorget square in the Folk Theatre building. Youngstorget is the political square of Oslo, home to rallies and the Labour movement. The Folk Theatre building (Folketeatret) from 1935 also housed the Opera before it moved into its present location.
At the Fiskeriet there is a window seat, as if it was a coffee shop. Gaze at life at Youngstorget while you munch on the freshest of fish to catch. Maybe bacalao? Bacalao is a unique Nordic stew with sturdy Nordic ingredients such as potatoes and dried and salted cod. Add to that tomatoes, black olives, red chillies and garlic and the result is the most foreign Norwegian dish you will ever find on our table.
Fiskeriet
Address: Youngstorget 2b
fiskeriet.com
What else is nearby?
Several nice restaurants in the adjoining “Operapassasjen”
The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet
More eating Oslo?
The best organic bakery in Oslo
Cheap and classy at Restaurant Olympen