Springtime at the water’s edge: Garfish, Fjord Shrimps, and the freshest Favourites

Let’s start by talking about the stars of the season—and right at the top, we have the marvelous Belone belone!

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That’s right—garfish!

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The garfish arrived a little late this year. We didn’t see these beautiful, long-beaked creatures settle into their summer homes until April 25th. But now we've got six glorious weeks of garfish feasts ahead of us.

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This season, we’re expecting garfish from places like Langø, Korsør, Odden, and Skagen. And up in Skagen, the talented fisherman Troels Twilling is going all in to make even more out of the garfish catch.

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Once again, we’re on a mission to spread the word—and some love—for the garfish. It’s the very definition of springtime and a signal that the big migration of fish species is kicking off in Denmark’s inland waters. The first garfish usually show up in herring nets, and it’s nearly always the fishermen from Odden who bring us the first catch. Later in the season, all our garfish come in from pound nets, so it’s crucial we support our pound net fishermen any way we can.

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Their income gets more and more tied to garfish because quotas on mackerel and eel keep shrinking. And that’s honestly enough to make you mad! Seriously—if there’s ever been a time to support our remaining pound net fishermen with the quotas they need for eel and mackerel, it’s now. We need to protect their fishing—both for its history and because it’s the gentlest form of fishing we’ve got in Denmark.

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Pound net fishing isn’t failing because of a lack of fish. They simply aren’t allowed to catch what’s there. Mackerel quotas are being squeezed thanks to industrial fishing in the North Atlantic, where giant vessels land more in a single trip than all Danish pound net fishermen catch in a whole year. Eel quotas have been nearly wiped out, even though pound net fishers reduced their eel catches by 98%. Meanwhile, water utilities and farmers in Sweden and Denmark, responsible for 92% of eel deaths, haven’t done a thing!

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Is that fair? No way. Is it silly? It’s a hundred times silly.

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Are we really about to erase our cultural heritage by “cancelling” eel fishing, Gen Z-style? And are we grouping these small fishermen together with big industrial overfishing? Apparently, yes…

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Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, we have to do something!” And you know what—you absolutely can. Put garfish front and center while they’re here. Support the pound net fishermen by loading up on their mackerel whenever the season starts—just don’t jump the gun! Mackerel season really gets going in mid-June.

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Whew! This was supposed to be an optimistic update... But honestly, there’s still a lot to be excited about—like getting to feast on garfish again! They’re delicious any way you prepare them, especially grilled, pickled, or raw. But you can let your imagination go wild!

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Enjoy them—and keep supporting your local pound net fishermen!

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Now, moving on from garfish to the wonderful FJORD SHRIMP!

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The world's most gentle shrimp fishery is now in full swing. Get fjord shrimp on your menu now and keep them there until October. It’s great for everyone in Denmark to focus on fjord shrimp—not least because it gives the trawled pandalus borealis a bit of a break!

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The word from the shrimp fishers is clear: there are more shrimp now than in many previous years, and the hard winter hasn’t had much of an impact. That’s something to celebrate!

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Next up, let’s talk about brill and turbot!

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It’s the official season for these big, flat fish. But to be honest, so far it's only the calendar saying so. There haven’t been too many brill or turbot at auction yet.

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We’re still early in the season, and the water’s not as warm as it usually is this time of year. Things can change fast, but it looks like neither brill nor turbot will be especially cheap this spring.

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We’ll follow up on the big flatfish next month, and in the meantime, keep in touch with your lovely friends at Fiskerikajen—or check the app for updates.

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And now, let’s talk about the “creepy-crawlies”!

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When warmer weather kicks in, so does lobster activity in the Limfjord and elsewhere in Denmark. And the heat really matters. Lobsters barely leave their burrows all winter; their activity level is completely controlled by the temperature. Once things heat up, lobsters get a lot more lively.

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Limfjord has Denmark’s largest lobster stocks, and it’s where most of our lobster come from. We used to get lobsters from Fyns Hoved too, but those fishers have stopped—though at least their old nets are now protecting against drones in Ukraine! Thankfully, lobsters are showing up in more spots across Danish waters. They’re actually pretty tough and can thrive even where oxygen levels are low, and these days they have fewer natural enemies. So now, the lobster can wander around as it pleases, without much danger. For true, prime lobster, we recommend waiting until late May—unless a long, warm spell heats the water earlier than usual.

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June is peak season, right before the lobster is protected from July 1st to August 31st.

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The brown crabs are also starting to move as the temperature rises. We get lots of Danish crab, but we also import from places like Helgoland in Germany, plus Holland and Ireland. If you prefer pre-cooked, picked crab meat, keep an eye out—we’ll be testing Norwegian crab meat in May and you’ll hear more about that through the app when it arrives.

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Hake and mackerel are both summer fish. But, they’re just starting to show up now, so you can consider featuring them. Both are a bit unpredictable in May, and for mackerel, the quality can be affected by the upcoming spawning. Both just keep getting better as the summer rolls on. But if you can’t wait—go for it now! Just remember, those delicious garfish are going strong all through May!

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Let’s take a little trip to Ringkøbing Fjord.

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Every May, fishing in Ringkøbing Fjord is fantastic, and right now there’s a huge variety of species. The whitefish has finished spawning and is back to normal, making life difficult again for snails, worms, and little crab babies. These small fish are in top shape and we can’t recommend them enough.

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There’s also been a real boost in smelt. Smelt, like whitefish, are a kind of salmonid—you can tell by the little fat fin behind the second dorsal fin. They have soft bones and are small enough that you can eat the whole fish, skin and all. Smelt smell wonderfully of cucumber—so much so, they’re sometimes called “cucumber fish”! They’re caught in traps in Ringkøbing and Stadil fjords, mostly as a bycatch. Their real peak is in autumn, but in May there’s often a good supply too.

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