Smoking

by Ben Reade.

In the docks of Copenhagen is an old smokehouse which used to provide smoked salmon and halibut for all of Europe. The fish here arrives on a Monday, and after one night under salt, it enters these enormous and historic smoking rooms. The smokey room you see is but one of many, there are corridors and corridors of these heavy iron doors, behind which fires can be laid of beech wood that smoke continuously without attention for three whole days and nights.

Then the fish can be sliced or not, and packaged. Although there is, as the more observant amongst you my have noticed some tuna (not nordic at all) on these racks alongside the salmon, the other fish which is hidden in this photo is halibut. The danes have a wonderful tradition of smoking halibut, a truly Danish delicacy.