There is magic in sharing a delicious meal while perched on the edge of a Lofoten cliff. As the salt spray meets the aroma of a simmering pot, the rugged landscape of Northern Norway transforms into the world’s most spectacular dining room.
Here are five recipes for traditional Norwegian dinners that we often cook on our own coastal expeditions. We've included shopping lists with Norwegian names for ingredients, and a few useful tips.
Finnbiff - Sautéed Reindeer
50-60 minutes to prepare
Finnbiff (also known in Norway as reinsdyrskav - thinly sliced reindeer meat) is a cornerstone of Sámi cuisine and culture, and a popular dish in northern Norway.
Due to the meat being sliced thin, it cooks fast and makes it a perfect dinner option when cooking in a campervan. Reindeer meat has a distinct but mild gamey flavor, and together with juniper berries, this dish has a unique taste. We recommend serving the pot together with mashed potatoes, but boiled rice or just some fresh bread will also work nicely.
Ingredients
- 500 g sliced Reindeer Meat (finnbiff)
- 150 g Bacon, diced
- 200 g Mushrooms
- 1 large Onion
- 2 Carrots
- 1,5 cups (3,5 dl) Water or Beef Stock
- 3 dl Sour Cream
- Salt and pepper
- 5-6 crushed Juniper Berries
Optional
- 2-3 slices of brunost - Norwegian brown goat cheese - to add depth and a nice sweet taste to the sauce
- A pinch of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Thaw the reindeer meat a bit, but not completely. The meat is easier to handle when it’s still a tad frozen.
- Brown the bacon until it’s crispy.
- Remove the bacon, but keep the fat in the pot.
- Add a little bit of butter to the bacon fat and sear the reindeer meat.
- Remove the reindeer meat from the pot.
- Sauté sliced mushrooms and finely chopped onion until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are golden.
- Add the reindeer meat and the bacon.
- Add the water or beef stock, sliced carrots, and crushed juniper berries.
- Bring to a boil and let it simmer under a lid for 20 minutes.
- Add sour cream and brown cheese and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Season with salt, plenty pepper and thyme.
Serve with mashed potatoes, steamed brussels sprouts and lingonberry jam.
Mashed potatoes à la Wecamp
- 5-6 large potatoes should do for 2 persons.
- Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes for faster cooking (2-3 centimeters).
- Boil in water and a pinch of salt until the potatoes are soft.
- Drain the potatoes before mashing them with a fork.
- Add butter - the more the merrier - I recommend 2-3 tablespoons.
- Add 1-2 dl of cream.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Wecamp Tip: Elevate your campervan mashed potatoes by adding a pinch of ground nutmeg. This simple addition brings a warm, nutty depth that perfectly complements the creamy butter and salt.
God appetitt!
Shopping list with Norwegian names
- Reindeer meat - Finnbiff or reinsdyrskav (most supermarkets will have it on offer in frozen bags, already sliced)
- Bacon - This one’s easy, bacon is called bacon in Norway!
- Mushrooms - Sopp (most supermarkets have fresh mushrooms, but canned will also do)
- Onion - Løk
- Beef stock - Kjøttbuljong (supermarkets have concentrated cubes that dissolves in water)
- Sour cream – Rømme (Seterrømme means full fat)
- Salt & Pepper - Salt og Pepper
- Juniper berries - Einebær (supermarkets will normally have small satchels of whole dried berries, or crushed berries in the spice section).
- Brown cheese - Brunost (we use it as spread on freshly baked bread, on waffles, and in sauces or pots)
- Thyme - Timian
- Potatoes - Poteter
- Carrot - Gulrøtter
- Butter – Smør
- Cream - Fløte
- Lingonberry Jam - Tyttebærsyltetøy
- Brussels sprouts - Rosenkål
Boknafisk - Stockfish
30-40 minutes to prepare
Boknafisk is a genuine Northern Norwegian specialty. The «Bokna» part of the name refers to «half dried», while «fisk» means fish. So, half dried cod, which means it has hung outside in the sea breeze for about 2-3 weeks. This gives the fish a dry and firm skin, while the meat inside remains quite moist and tender.
You’ll see plenty of racks with drying stockfish when you travel around parts like Lofoten and Vesterålen. However, you will not find boknafisk in all supermarkets, but traditional fishmongers carry it when it is in season. These can be found in most towns in Northern Norway and along the coast, particularly in Lofoten and Vesterålen. Ask the locals for advice!
Note: The fish might give a strong smell when you prepare it, but don’t worry. Once prepared properly, it tastes delicious!
Ingredients
- 500 g Boknafisk
- 150 g Bacon diced
- 3-4 Carrots
- A small bag of frozen Peas
- 4-6 Potatoes (I recommend almond potatoes – mandelpotet in Norwegian)
- Butter
- Salt
Instructions
- Prep the fish by soaking it in salted water (1 tbsp per liter) for at least a couple of hours. Skin and bone the fish before cutting it into generous serving pieces.
- Boil water with a pinch of salt.
- Turn down the heat and let the fish simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You want the fish poached not boiled. The fish is done when the meat flakes easily from the bone.
- Fry the pieces of bacon until they are crunchy and golden.
- Boil carrots until moderately soft.
- Heat the peas in 1 dl of water, before mashing them with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a tablespoon of butter.
White sauce ingredients
- 3 dl milk
- 1,5 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
White sauce instructions
- Shake the flour with half of the milk in a bottle until you have an even mix.
- Pour the mix and the rest of the milk into a pot and add the butter and salt.
- Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3-4 minutes (remember to stirr).
Serve boknafisk with bacon, white sauce, carrots, pea puree and potatoes.
God appetitt!
Shopping list with Norwegian names
- Stockfish (half dried) - Boknafisk
- Bacon – Bacon also in Norwegian
- Carrots – Gulrøtter
- Peas – Erter
- Salt & Pepper – Salt og pepper
- Cream – Fløte
- Almond potatoes – Mandelpotet
- Butter – Smør
- Milk - Melk
- Wheat flour - Hvetemel
Fiskesuppe - Creamy Fish Soup
30-40 minutes to prepare
Fish soup is on the menu at any traditional northern Norwegian restaurant. We like the soup creamy, and with a rich taste of fish. Should be served with freshly baked bread, which is an easy task in our fully equipped campervans – see recipe for bread further below.
Ingredients
- 6 dl Fish Stock (you can use Fish Bouillon cubes which you’ll find in all supermarkets)
- 2 Carrots
- 2 dl Milk
- 2 tbsp Wheat Flour
- 200 g Salmon filet
- 200 g Cod filet
- 1 dl Peas
- 1 dl Cream
- 0,5 tsp Salt
- 0,5 tsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped up Chives
Optional
- You can basically use any fish you like. I prefer salmon and cod since they’re both rich in taste.
- Adding some shrimps and/or mussels is a good idea.
- Adding vegetables like carrots, leek, and celery is also delicious.
- Squize a bit of lemon juice into the soup before serving, to give the soup a tangy finish.
Instructions
- Make the broth with approximately 7-8 dl of water and 1,5 cubes of fish bouillon. Some of the water will evaporate, and you’ll get close to the desired 6 dl of broth.
- When the broth is boiling, add chopped up carrots, and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Mix milk and flour in a bottle - close the lid and shake until you have an even mix.
- Pour the mix slowly into the broth while stirring.
- Let it softly boil for 8-10 minutes – remember to stirr often.
- Lower the temperature to a minimum and add peas and cubes of fish.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cream, salt, and pepper while stirring.
- Sprinkle chopped up chives and serve with frehsly baked bread.
Note: Fish stock made from bouillon can be quite salty, so have a taste before you add even more salt!
God appetitt!
WeCamp Polar Bread
This polar bread is easy to make in a campervan kitchen, and it only takes a few minutes before you have your first loaf. You can substitute any of the flours to suit your preference. We use whatever we have on hand, but we always include some wheat flour (all-purpose flour) in the mix. We often add some oats in the dough, along with seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, or flax.
Note: Our recipe uses baking powder, but you can also use dry or fresh yeast. Just make sure you let the dough rise before you bake if you use yeast.
Ingredients for 8-10 loaves
- 100 g oats
- 250 g Flour (wheat, rye, whoole wheat)
- 50 g melted Butter
- 2 dl Milk
- 2 tsp baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Mix flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Mix the melted butter with the milk and add it to flour mix.
- Knead the dough a bit until it’s smooth and even.
- Divide the dough into 8-10 equal parts.
- Shape each part as you like, making sure they are roughly the thickness of your finger.
- Use a fork to prick holes across the surface of the dough circles before they hit the pan.
- Bake each loaf in a dry frying pan over moderate heat (turn the gas to about 1/3).
- 2-3 minutes on each side should do.
- Let the bread cool for a few minutes before serving.
Shopping list with Norwegian names
- Fish stock - Fiskekraft
- Fish bouillon cubes - Fiskebuljong
- Carrots - Gulrøtter
- Milk - Melk
- Salmon filet - Laksefilet
- Cod filet - Torskefilet
- Peas – Erter
- Cream - Fløte
- Salt & Pepper – Salt og pepper
- Chives - Gressløk
- Butter – Smør
- Baking powder - Bakepulver
- Oats - Havregryn
- Wheat flour - Hvetemel
- Rye – Rugmel
- Whole wheat flour – Sammalt hvetemel
- Yeast – Gjær
- Dry yeast - Tørrgjær
- Seeds - Frø
Rømmegrøt - Sour Cream Porridge
20-30 minutes to prepare
In Norway it is tradition to serve Rømmegrøt – sour cream porridge – when we celebrate midsummer, but this rich comfort food is also often served at weddings and farm celebrations. The porridge is usually accompanied by various cold cuts, such as «Fenalår» - cured cuts from lamb’s legs, and Norwegian flat bread. Easy to make and easy to love!
The recipe is how my mother used to make it, but if you don’t feel like cooking yourself, you can buy ready made rømmegrøt in most supermarkets. All you need to do then is to heat the porridge.
Ingredients
- 5 dl Sour Cream
- 2 dl Flour
- 5 dl Milk
- 1 tbsp Butter
- ½ tsp Salt
- Sugar
- Cinnamon powder
- Flat bread
- Cold cuts/Cured meats - Spekemat (I prefer Norwegian «fenalår» but other dry-cured hams will do nicely)
Instructions
- Bring the sour cream to a boil.
- Simmer for 5 minutes while stirring.
- Add half of the flour and stir hard.
- Simmer until you see the fat from the cream start seeping through.
- Use a spoon to remove the fat (keep it for later).
- Add the rest of the flour while stirring hard.
- Add milk a little by little while stirring.
- Let the porridge simmer for 5-6 minutes (remember to stir often) at a low temperature.
- Add salt to taste.
- Sprinkle your portion of porridge with sugar, cinnamon and the melted fat to taste.
Serve hot with flat bread and cold cuts (sandwitch the cold cuts between pieces of flat bread).
God appetitt!
Shopping list with Norwegian names
- Sour Cream – Rømme (go for full fat seterrømme)
- Flour - Hvetemel
- Milk – Melk
- Butter – Smør
- Salt - Salt
- Sugar - Sukker
- Cinnamon Powder - Kanel
- Cold cuts – Spekemat
- Flat bread - Flatbrød
Fiskeboller i hvit saus - Fish Balls in White Sauce
30-40 minutes to prepare
I ate this traditional everyday dish at least twice a week when I grew up, and I still love it to bits! Especially if the fish balls are from Vesterålen (look for the white and green can in the supermarket). That said, you can find locally produced fish balls many places in Northern Norway, and especially in the Lofoten Islands area.
At home we used to make the dish with a bit of curry in the sauce. You can skip the curry if you’re not a big fan – the meal will still be delicious. We also fry small cubes of bacon that we sprinkle on top – that’s also optional but highly recommended!
Ingredients
- 1 tin of Fish Balls
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 5 dl Milk
- A pinch of Curry powder
- 3-4 Carrots
- 1 Apple
- Lemon
- Salt & Pepper
- Sugar
- Potatoes
- Parsley, Dill or Chives
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pot together with the curry powder.
- Add the flour and stirr until it is well mixed.
- Pour the liquid from the can into the pot and stirr hard until there’s no lumps.
- Add the milk and bring to a boil.
- Add more milk if the sauce is too thick.
- Let it simmer for 8-10 while stirring continuously to avoid burning the sauce.
- Add the fish balls and let it all simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
- Grate the carrots and the apple and put it all in a bowl. Season the salad with some lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper.
Serve the fish balls with some sprinkled parsley, dill or chives (and fried bacon) on top, together with boiled potatoes, and the raw veg salad.
God appetitt!
Shopping list with Norwegian names
- Fish Balls – Fiskeboller
- Curry Powder – Karrikrydder
- Butter - Smør
- Flour - Hvetemel
- Milk - Melk
- Carrots - Gulrøtter
- Apple - Eple
- Lemon - Sitron
- Salt & Pepper – Salt og pepper
- Sugar - Sukker
- Potatoes - Poteter
- Parsley - Persille
- Chives - Gressløk
What’s Cooking in Your Kitchen on Wheels?
We hope these recipes bring an extra dimension to your next road trip in Norway. Cooking in a small space doesn’t mean compromising on flavor, and these traditional classics are proof of that.
Have you tried making Finnbiff or Boknafisk in your van, or do you have a favorite roadside secret ingredient? Share your camping culinary creations with us on social media—we’d love to see where you’re dining tonight!
