Icelandic Fish Stew: Plokkfiskur

Iceland is an island nation in the North Atlantic where the language is Icelandic, a Germanic language from the North Germanic branch, which still has many similarities to its ancestor, Old Norse. English too is a Germanic language, and it came from what developed as the West Germanic branch, although it was later influenced by its relative, Old Norse.

Iceland "Plokkfiskur" (pronounced pretty much like it's spelled), literally means "plucked fish," and indeed, the "plokk" part of the name is related to English "pluck" (see Word History, below), and the "fiskur" part is related to "fish." It is a simple stew, more on the order of a hash or paste, traditionally served with well buttered dark rye bread (Icelandic: (rúgbrauð").* Traditionally, cod or haddock is used, but you can use the less pricey pollock. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pound cod fillets (or haddock, or pollock), rinsed and cut into pieces
1 1/4 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces 
2/3 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup water from the cooked fish
1 cup milk 
2/3 teaspoon salt  (or to your taste)
2/3 teaspoon white pepper

Cook the potatoes in some water until they are softened. Also, cook the fish in some salted water until cooked through (it doesn't really take very long). While these things are ongoing, melt the butter in a skillet over "low heat," and saute the onion, taking care not to brown the onion, but to soften it well. Stir in the flour, a little at a time, until it is all mixed with the butter and onion. Let this cook briefly, on low heat, to take out the raw flour taste. Add about a quarter cup of the milk (doesn't have to be an exact measurement), stirring constantly to mix it into the flour mixture. Gradually add more of the milk, stirring constantly, until the milk is all added. Drain the fish and the potatoes well, saving about a quarter cup of the hot fish liquid. As you did with the milk, gradually add the hot fish broth, stirring constantly to incorporate it into the stew base. Now add the fish and, using a fork, break it up into the desired sized pieces. Add the potatoes and do the same, leaving the potato pieces as large or small as you like. The mixture should be thick, but if you'd like it thinner, add a little more milk. Stir in the salt and white pepper and get ready to eat. I had some chives, so I chopped them and used them as a garnish for the stew, but you could certainly use some parsley, or just leave it plain. Traditionally this dish is served with well buttered Icelandic dark rye bread. Let's face it, unless we live in Iceland, we don't just walk into a bakery or store and say, "Give me some dark Icelandic rye bread;" so, pumpernickel bread is a decent substitute, with the "softer" style pumpernickel, as opposed to the "crumbly" style, being closer to the Icelandic bread texture. The softer style is the most common style of pumpernickel in the U.S., and it is not uncommon to see it used with part of the inside removed so it can hold spinach dip.

* Like the name for the stew, the bread, "rúgbrauð," is also related to English: "rúg"=rye, and rye also once had a "g" in it, but the sound died out. And Icelandic "brauð" is simply their form for English "bread." The "ð" symbol is called an "eth," and represents "th." For the history of the word "rye," here is the link to the article: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-about-coalitions-not-purity-part_13.html 

WORD HISTORY:
Pluck-The ancient history of this word is in question, but after a good deal of research, I think it was a borrowing by Germanic dialects from Latin, although it was so long ago, it is quite understandable that some believe it to be an original Germanic word. It is distantly related to "plush" and to "pile" (the word meaning "hairs or fibers"), both words of Latin derivation borrowed by English from French. It goes back to Indo European "piloh," which had the notion, "covering;" thus also, "hair" or "feathers/down." This gave Latin "pilus," which meant "hair," which produced Latin "pilare," which meant, "to pull out hair." This spawned "piluccare," meaning, "to pull feathers or hair." This was borrowed into West Germanic from Latin in ancient times, "seemingly" from the Roman grape cultivation they established around the region of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers, and the "plucking (picking) of grapes." This gave West Germanic "plukkonan," which gave Anglo-Saxon (Old English)^  "pluccian," meaning, "to pluck, to pick, to tear off, tear away from." This later became "plukken," then "plucken," before the modern form. Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has "pflücken," Low German Saxon "plücken," Frisian "plukje/plokje (?), Dutch "plukken." Old Norse, the North Germanic ancestor of the modern North Germanic languages, seems to have borrowed a form somewhat later, as "plokka," from Old English or Old Saxon (the Saxon that remained in what is now northern Germany after some Saxons emigrated to Briton). This gave Danish and Norwegian "plukke," Icelandic "plokka," Swedish "plocka."   

^ It seems the Germanic borrowing from Latin took place before the Germanic tribal elements, often collectively called, "Anglo-Saxons," left the North Sea region of the European mainland for Briton, where they founded England. "Briton" is often used, instead of "Britain," when the reference is to the Celtic-Roman lands that existed before the invasion by elements of several Germanic tribes, led by the Anglo-Saxons.