Lobster soup in Grindavík

For the average tourist there is not much to see in Grindavík (population: 3300). It was only in 1939 a safe landing point for the fishing ships was created at Hópið but the fishing industry didn’t change much until the 1950s. A newly built breakwater gave the ships even more protection to harbour safely. Before 1939 the ships would have to be pulled ashore at night. The fish would have been salted for preservation. During the late 19th and early 20th century salted fish was Iceland’s main export product.

The day I was in Grindavík it was a very stormy and wet day. The night before a big storm landed in Iceland making travel by car not advisable. After a walk around the harbour I could only warm myself in Bryggjan Kaffihus & Cafe. The menu is very limited but they had a very tasty lobster soup (Humarsúpa), which is made from Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) also known as langoustine. This is the only type of lobster found in the waters around Iceland. The soup had all the flavour extracted from the lobsters but had barely any flesh in it. This is understandable since the stock has been in decline since 2005. Fishermen were unable to catch the full quota in 2017. Jónas Páll Jónasson, ichthyologist at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute: “There is no question whether lobster fishing will be banned in the near future, “it’s only a question of when it will happen.” Crusteceans are sensitive to changing ocean conditions and rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, so there might also be a link to climate change but these animals also reproduce slowly in cold waters so despite the quota, overfishing is a factor.

Humarsúpa is basically a bisque and if you Google for recipes you will find so many variations it is hard to pick a recipe. Modern versions contain curry powder, cream, white wine and cognac.

Lobster soup, as long as stock lasts.

View from the window of Bryggjan Kaffihus