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80 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2017 T he New Scandinavian Cooking show on PBS is one of the best cooking shows on television. On this show, the host typically cooks outside, and the recipes feature local, fresh ingredients from the Scandinavian region, including those that have been hunted, foraged or freshly caught. One episode comes to mind: the chef, Andreas Viestad, is standing in a few feet of snow, in front of a log cabin with wood fire going behind him, and a deer hangs in the background. He's tending to a pot of his hunter's venison stew, and you can see his icy breath in the cold, Nordic air as he's conjuring up romantic words to describe the successful hunter returning from the woods and the virtues of cooking with wild game meats. During the episode, the chef is wearing only a town coat, scarf and a beaver hat for warmth – viewers can see why these people are related to the Vikings. The "fiskekaker" episode, which I saw years ago, was equally memorable. This time, the host is cooking before a stunning backdrop of an icy, blue lake, somewhere in Norway or Finland on a bright, spring or summer day. He's grinding fresh pike with potatoes and adding three different herb combinations to get three flavors of fish cakes. All the recipes on this show seem so simple, but so fresh and inviting. My mouth watered, and I told myself I'd make Scandinavian fish cakes one day. So there's another recipe down – in my head, I keep a bucket list of recipes that I need to learn before I die. I enjoy the challenge, but I also like to try new things. In many ways, the act of cooking another culture's recipes brings me to a more intimate understanding. Servings: 4 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: • 1 pound of paddlefish or other white fish, boneless and skinless • ½ pound of boiled russet potato, skinless • ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg • ½ tablespoon of all-purpose flour • ½ cup of cold whole milk • 1 egg • 1 shallot, minced • 2 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped • ¼ teaspoon of white pepper • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or to taste • ½ tablespoon of olive oil • ½ tablespoon of butter • Lime/lemon wedges 1. Pat fish dry with paper towels and cut into large chunks. In a food processor with the S-blade, pulse fish with potato a few times. Then add nutmeg and flour, and then pulse until well combined and you get the texture of ground meat. Next, add milk and egg. Pulse until mixture turns into a paste. Add more milk if mixture is too dry. (For a smoother fish cake texture, grind fish and potatoes together in an electric meat grinder and mix other ingredients by hand.) 2. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and combine with shallot, parsley, salt and white pepper. Keep fish mixture cold. 3. In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. When pan is hot, scoop out fish paste with a large spoon and form into a plum-size patty. Drench hands in water first to reduce sticking. Cook fish cakes for 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve fish with lime or lemon wedges and your favorite salad. ■ This recipe and photograph originally appeared on Jenny's Food for Hunters blog at foodforhunters.com. Scandinavian-style paddlefish cakes served over a bed of dandelion greens tossed with pear and champagne vinaigrette. Scandinavian style paddlefish cakes served over a bed of dandelion greens tossed Scandinavian-style Paddlefish Cakes By Jenny Nguyen Flavored with fresh shallots, parsley and white pepper.