Dutch Foodies Inspired by Fish from Iceland
Seafood and aquaculture products from Iceland were recently introduced at a presentation in Amsterdam, organised by Dutch distribution company Versvishandel Jan van As, a partner to Iceland Responsible Fisheries (IRF). Icelandic chefs provided a group of Dutch gourmands, chefs and other food enthusiasts, with inspiration for cooking with Icelandic ingredients.
The presentation was organised in collaboration with IRF and Promote Iceland, which helped with preparations, sponsored the trip for the Icelandic chefs and provided various promotional materials. Jan van As regularly organises such presentations for local gourmands under the label “Fish&Inspiration” and this time the focus was on cod, lobster and Arctic char from Iceland. The group includes chefs from well-known restaurants in the Netherlands, who prefer Icelandic ingredients for their menus. The purpose with the presentation was to educate food enthusiasts about products from Iceland, sustainability, certification and quality management, in addition to providing inspiration for culinary creations.
The presentation took place at the restaurant Amsterdams Proeflokaal on October 20. The cooking demonstration was carried out by Icelandic chefs Einar Björn Árnason and Guðlaugur P. Frímannsson. Einar Björn, who is the owner of and head chef at restaurant Einsi Kaldi in Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands), prepared a dish with cod from Iceland. He was assisted by the renown Dutch chef Arjan Speelman, head chef at restaurant Ciel Bleu (Hotel Okura Amsterdam), which has two Michelin stars. Guðlaugur, who is a chef at Grillmarkaðurinn in Reykjavík, made a dish of Arctic char, served with rye bread crumble and trout roe. In addition, a Dutch chef made a dish with Icelandic lobster. After the cooking demonstration, the Icelandic chefs in collaboration with their Dutch colleagues, whirled up a four-course lunch for the guests, who were thrilled about the whole affair.
IRF’s collaboration with Jan van As is a good example of how Iceland and Icelandic ingredients can be presented to key markets in a strategic and effective manner. The guests who attended the event are influential when it comes to buying food for their restaurants and a successful presentation will no doubt strengthen the market position of products from Iceland.
