Iceland #3 : The Freshest Food on Earth at Stykkishólmur

When most people think Iceland, or any Nordic country really, I don't think they necessarily associate the region with good food, what ever that means. Well, those people are wrong. I mean, I was one of them, before the trip. But there, in Iceland, I actually ate some of the best food I ever have in my life. The seafood especially is AMAZING. It makes sense, Iceland is an island surrounded by cold, clean, gushing water full of thriving life. It's a fishermen country, their largest export, I believe, is fish. Iceland might not be here without fish...yeah, probably not.
Well, anyway, during our road trip around the Ring Road of Iceland, we made a stop at one fishing village called Stykkishólmur, where we ended up taking a ride on a fishing vessel. We were going to be fed some very fresh seafood, caught, literally, before our eyes. They set out the net (photo above) and let it sink to the seafloor. When they pulled it up, I couldn't believe my eyes! It was overflowing in every direction with live food.

Of course this got a whole minute straight full of tourists' oooohs and aaaaaahhhhs (in the pic above you can see just how done the teenager looks with her job).

She and the other workers didn't skip a beat, and started preparing the food immediately. Some guy who also worked for the boat popped out of nowhere and plopped trays of wasabi, pickled ginger, and chopsticks anywhere necessary, as the tourists oooohhhed and ahhhhed again.

Rows upon rows of pristine, cold, Icelandic scallops took over the whole top deck, and disappeared as quickly as they came out. Looking around, you could see dozens of satisfied tourists, who were definitely getting their money's worth. Everyone was falling in love with the country, if not already in love from first sight.

Soon the scallops were gone and were replaced by a more exotic sea urchin. The ooohs and ahhhs were quieter this round, less people inclined to taste the raw urchin roe. It was a bright orange color and was grainy inside. It smelled a bit foul, like jellyfish and dirt. But of course, I had to try it. I mean, I was in Iceland! Where else would I have the opportunity to taste an urchin this fresh? Well, I tasted it, and struggled not to spit it over the boat's edge. Straight up nasty! But at least I could say now I had eaten Icelandic sea urchin, raw. I still get shivers when I think about the flavor of sandy urchin...ughhhh....shivers. The scallops were delicious, though. The best I ever had.

I love Iceland