A taste of Petersburg

From a cherished cookbook

Photo: Michelle Newman
To order a copy of the Fedrelandet Lodge 23 cookbook, write to Petersburg Sons of Norway Hall, P.O. Box 629, Petersburg, AK 99833. Make your check out to the lodge, for $20,  which includes shipping and handling.

Lori Ann Reinhall
Editor-in-chief
The Norwegian American

A big part of any travel experience is the local cuisine, and Petersburg, Alaska, will not disappoint visiting tourists. With fish fresh off the boat and a treasury of beloved Norwegian recipes, some new and others handed down through the generations, it is any Norwegian American’s culinary dream come true.

One of the festival’s favorite events is the annual Kaffe Hus at the Fedrelandet Lodge Sons of Norway Hall, with over 25 types of traditional Norwegian pastries available, fresh lefse, six varieties of smørbrød open-faced sandwiches, and a very special shrimp macaroni salad—and that’s not all.

The Sons of Norway is, of course, a popular place to be year round. The food is excellent, a matter of Norwegian-American pride. The lodge even has its own cookbook, and we are happy to share two recipes from it as part of our special Petersburg experience—enjoy

HALIBUT SPREAD

Photo: Michelle Newman

Recipe from Glorianne Wollen
Serves 4–6

Make the salad:

1. Boil 2–3 cups of fresh halibut for 5 minutes.
2. Mix the boiled halibut with ½-cup finely chopped onion
3. Drain and reserve fish and onion; let cool.
4. Mix together:

• ⅔ cup mayo
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. Johnny’s seafood seasoning
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. fresh dill
• ¼ cup sweet relish
• Don’t overmix and keep cool.

ALMOND PUFF

Photo: Michelle Newman

Recipe from Sharon Wikan, Audrey Samuelson, Joyce Bergmann, and Marge File
Serves 24

Make the puff pastry:

• ½ cup soft butter
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsps. water

1. Cut butter into flour; sprinkle with water. Mix, then round into a ball in half.
2. On a baking sheet, pat each half of dough into a  2-inch x 12-inch strip. Strips should be about 3 inches apart.

Make the filling:

• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• ½ tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs

1. In medium saucepan, heat butter and water to rolling boil.
2. Heat and quickly stir in almond extract, lemon juice, and flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Beat in eggs, all at once; beat until smooth. Divide in half. Spread evenly on pastry strips, covering them completely. Bake for 42 minutes at  350°

Make the glaze:

• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1 ½ tsp. almond extract
• ½ tsp. lemon extract
• 1–2 tbsps. water

1. Mix well; spread on top of strips.
2. Sprinkle with sliced/chopped almonds

Glaze variation by Marge File:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 ½ tsps. almond extract

1. Beat until creamy; add milk to thin.

See also “Soaking up Norwegian culture in ‘Little Norway’” by Michelle Newman, The Norwegian American, September 2024.

This article originally appeared in the September 2024 issue of  The Norwegian American.