Iceland is surrounded by bountiful fishing grounds that the natives take full advantage of.  Staple foods include all types of fish, shellfish, and even whale meat! The Icelandic people have survived off of fishing for centuries and know how to cook a mean fish n chips.  Lamb is another typical centerpiece in Icelandic cookery.  They offer a typical rustic preparation of lamb chops as well as roasts and steaks. The most common delicacy found was langoustines, typically presented in the form of a bisque or soup. We tried many across the island and enjoyed them but were not overly impressed.

Reindeer and Lamb steak are delicious menu options around the Icelandic food scene.  We tried some great Lamb Tenderloins on the south coast at Rauda Housid. They did not disappoint.

Icelanders have lots of dips and spreads in their diets.  Many cheese and fish and meat spreads are to be found in breakfast and dinner spreads across the country.  Pickled and creamed herring versions are common and worth trying for daring foodies. Also you may find tubes of caviar that can be spread on toasts, tasty!

We had several cod dishes, from broiled with butter to batter fried with chips and malt vinegar. The cod was amazingly fresh and delicious every time!

Lamb soup was available at every restaurant and we found it often to be ordinary watered down Irish versions of the dish with lots of potato, carrot and onion with bits of lamb and some herbs in a clear stock. If you like lamb stew try mine here…

Icelanders love their hot dogs but we didn’t find them anything too special. An icelandic hotdog has fried onions and a long lamb dog topped with ketchup and onions. Mayo optional, relish if you are fancy.  Again just a hot dog w fried onions. Good but not worth a meal if you want try all the rare goods while you visit the island.