About the cannery
Fangst- which means catch in Danish and Norwegian - is a canning business based in Copenhagen. The fish comes from right across Scandinavia. The sprats or Nordic sardines are caught in the Baltic Sea and canned on the sea's Latvian coast. The herring is from the Norwegian Sea. The salmon is farmed in the Faroe Islands. The trout in Danish freshwater. And the Fangst blue mussels are harvested in Limfjorden, the Danish inlet famed for these tasty shellfish. The cod liver and monkfish liver is from Iceland. And the halibut is from Greenland.
Fangst is dedicated to sustainability. The mussels - although wild rather than farmed - are harvested mindfully and in an MSC-protected area of the Danish inlet Limfjorden; the Baltic Sea sprats are MSC-certified too, and Fangst chose salmon farmed in the Faroe Islands rather than somewhere more southerly because the fish have more space to swim there and the colder water temperatures mean the salmon remain naturally healthy.
Fangst fish is locally sourced, sustainable and seasonal - in other words in keeping with the tenets of New Nordic Cuisine, a celebrated culinary movement born in 2004. The New Nordic philosophy Fangst subscribes to means the ingredients are sustainable and sourced in Scandinavia: the heather, chamomile and juniper all grow locally. Rather than importing olive oil, lemons and sardines for its tins, Fangst uses organic cold-pressed rapeseed oil, lemon thyme and sprats, ingredients native to Scandinavia. With its tinned fish, Fangst's mission is to revive Scandinavia’s former flourishing canning industry and give what is viewed as a southern European preserve a distinctive Nordic twist.
Fangst tinned salmon is farmed in the Faroe Islands where the fish have more room to swim. It is similar to being in the wild for the salmon and the colder water temperatures mean the fish do not need medicine to stay healthy. The salmon is smoked or flash-grilled or complemented with sea buckthorn and lemon verbena. Fangst salmon is packed in a locally sourced, nutty and buttery cold pressed rapeseed oil - the Nordic answer to olive oil.
Fangst trout is a recipe steeped in Nordic culinary (and family) tradition. Bregnballe's childhood visits to trout farms with his biologist father and the spices that his mother would cook with inspired the recipe. Juniper is a classic Scandinavian accompaniment in smoked dishes, and the lemon thyme makes Fangst tinned trout fragrant, aromatic and lends depth of flavour.
Fangst mussels, smoked over beech wood and preserved in cold pressed organic rapeseed oil or marinated in apple vinegar with dill and fennel. The Fangst mussels are harvested in Limfjorden, the Danish inlet famed for these tasty shellfish. The blåmuslinger or blue mussel grows slowly in the cold waters there and takes on a particularly fine taste and texture as a result.
Fangst cockles are harvested in the same ecosystem. The cold waters of the vast Limfjorden inlet are an ideal environment for the hjertemuslinger or cockles to grow too. They develop a mild, lightly salty flavour and a firm texture. Fangst preserves this delicate taste by adding only cold pressed rapeseed oil.
Fangst sprats are fished sustainably in the Baltic sea. This is artisanal tinned fish with a Nordic twist. Chef and cookbook author Mikkel Karstad developed this and other Fangst recipes with Denmark’s produce and traditions in mind. The MSC-certified sprats are beech wood smoked and packed in a locally sourced, cold pressed rapeseed oil. Organic heather and chamomile which both grow inland from the Baltic coastline, are also added.
Fangst herring is caught in the Norwegian Sea and is gently smoked over beech wood and lightly spiced with white pepper and ramson (wild garlic). Herring is a fish that has been fundamental to Nordic fishing, trade and food culture since the Middle Ages, and Fangst’s tinned herring is a very worthy tribute. The herring or sild is smooth, subtle-tasting and full of delicate flavours. Fangst say its tinned herring brings together a taste of the coast with a hint of the forest.
Fangst halibut, is one of the most prized catches in Greenland, a country where fishing is the main source of income. Greenland halibut is smaller and considered higher quality than other halibut. The Arctic Thyme is hand-picked in the wild. The fragrant herb, traditionally used in North Atlantic cooking, pairs perfectly with the white fish’s delicate flavour.
Serving tips
•Treat the sprats like sardines and have them on toast with a spritz of lemon and thinly sliced red onion or shallot.
•The smoked herring has a robust flavour and would be great for breakfast with scrambled eggs and chopped chives, or with crunchy chopped cabbage drizzled with the oil.
•The salmon on crackers with cream cheese and chopped chives or flaked over a salad with some lemon juice, salt and pepper whisked into the rapeseed oil to make a dressing.
