Bergen Fish Soup

Bergensk fiskesuppe is built on a stock made from fish bones and heads, usually cod or halibut, thickened with cream and egg yolk, with carrot, celeriac, leek and parsnip cut fine, and given a distinctive sweet-sour finish with sugar and vinegar or sour cream that separates it from other Nordic fish soups. Pieces of white fish and often fish balls are added at the end. It is served everywhere in Bergen, from the fish market stalls and the market hall to the restaurants along Bryggen, and quality varies enormously: versions aimed at cruise passengers can be thin and over-sweetened, while the older restaurants and the market hall stalls generally do it properly.

What you actually see

• The cream base - a stock thickened with cream and egg yolk.
• The sweet-sour finish - sugar and vinegar giving the local character.
• The fine root vegetables - carrot, celeriac, leek and parsnip.
• The market servings - stalls and the hall at the Bergen fish market.

When to go

Year-round; it is a warming dish that suits Bergen's frequent rain in any season. The fish market operates daily with the indoor hall open year-round and outdoor stalls mainly in summer.

Honest expectations

The outdoor fish market is aimed heavily at cruise visitors, and prices there are high for what arrives. Quality varies widely across the city. The soup is rich and filling, and a starter portion is often enough.

Nearby

The fish market and Bryggen are central; the Bergen Aquarium and Nordnes lie across the harbour.