Icelandic Food to Try: Plokkfiskur

At first glance, plokkfiskur doesn't look like much. Learning that the name means roughly "mashed fish" doesn't help. But looks can be deceiving: this is one of the best things you'll eat in Iceland, and it's exactly what you want on a cold night.

Where it comes from

For generations, Icelandic families ate poached haddock or other white fish with boiled potatoes several times a week, and there were usually leftovers. Those leftovers got mashed together the next day with onion and a white sauce, and plokkfiskur was born. These days people buy fresh fish just to make it, and it's on the menu at plenty of Reykjavik restaurants, ordered by locals and visitors alike.

What's in it

Most recipes go something like this:

1. Boil cod, haddock or halibut, then flake it with a fork.
2. Boil potatoes and cut them into chunks.
3. Make a sauce of onion, butter, flour and milk, seasoned with salt, pepper and, in many kitchens, a pinch of curry powder.
4. Fold the fish and potatoes into the sauce.
5. For the restaurant version, top with béarnaise or hollandaise and cheese, then brown it under the grill.

It's traditionally eaten with dark, slightly sweet rye bread (rúgbrauð) and plenty of butter. It isn't a light dish, but it's the kind of food you want after a day out in the wind.

Where to eat plokkfiskur in Reykjavik

Þrír Frakkar

Þrír Frakkar has long been known as the place for traditional plokkfiskur. Chef Úlfar Eysteinsson opened it on 1 March 1989 and his family still runs it. It seats 44, focuses on fish, and has a cheaper lunch menu. The menu lists gratinated plokkfiskur with black bread as an "Icelandic specialty" for 3,890 ISK. The website lists lunch on weekdays from 11:30 to 14:00 and dinner every night from 18:00. Book ahead for dinner, since it's small.

Kaffi Loki

Kaffi Loki, across the street from Hallgrímskirkja, is the easiest place to try it. Its menu has a full plate of gratinated plokkfiskur with salad and buttered rye bread for 5,250 ISK, or a single slice of rye bread topped with plokkfiskur and chives for 2,800 ISK (as of 2026). It's open daily from 8:00 to 22:00 and doesn't take reservations.

Messinn

Messinn, at Lækjargata 6b, is a seafood restaurant known for fish served in the pan it was cooked in. Its menu has an Icelandic plokkfiskur pan made with cod, cream, white wine and béarnaise, served with rye bread, for 5,450 ISK. It's open from 11:30 daily, until 21:00 Sunday to Thursday and 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Make it yourself

If you're staying somewhere with a kitchen, plokkfiskur is cheap to make. Fresh cod or haddock, potatoes, onions, butter, flour and milk are all easy to find in Bónus or Krónan, and rye bread is on every supermarket shelf. See Self-catering in Iceland and Dining on a Budget in Reykjavik for more.

For other traditional dishes, from smoked lamb to fermented shark, see Icelandic Delicacies.

Photo by ChrisGoldNY