Skrei is the pre­mier class of all cod spe­ci­es. It is high­ly sought after and par­ti­cu­lar­ly exclu­si­ve thanks to strict qua­li­ty cri­te­ria and a short sea­son. Gourmets can look for­ward to this deli­ca­cy for only three months of the year. High qua­li­ty stan­dards regar­ding taste, pro­ces­sing, and trade, com­bi­ned with limi­t­ed quan­ti­ties and sea­so­nal exclu­si­vi­ty, make Skrei a cove­ted deli­ca­cy. Not every win­ter cod caught off the coast of the Lofoten Islands recei­ves the Skrei® qua­li­ty cer­ti­fi­ca­te. Winter cod may only be desi­gna­ted as Skrei if it comes from Norway and was caught the­re using longli­nes or hand­li­nes, bled direct­ly on board, and clea­ned with sea­wa­ter. The fish must reach land within four hours wit­hout brea­king the cold chain; the­re, they are inspec­ted exclu­si­ve­ly by Skrei-cer­ti­fi­ed com­pa­nies and checked for pres­su­re marks or other ‚defects‘. Only the finest spe­ci­mens are mark­ed with the Skrei seal of qua­li­ty on the fin. 

Strict atten­ti­on is paid to sus­taina­bi­li­ty; fishing is only per­mit­ted to the ext­ent that stocks can rege­ne­ra­te. This gives the trade and con­sump­ti­on of Skrei ethi­cal and eco­lo­gi­cal signi­fi­can­ce. The uti­lizati­on of the ani­mals is also effi­ci­ent and sus­tainable; all parts of the fish are used, even the ton­gue. In Norway, the ton­gue is con­side­red a deli­ca­cy and is the­r­e­fo­re retai­ned. The rest is expor­ted all over the world. During the sea­so­nal months of January to April, the­re is hard­ly a Michelin-star­red chef who does not attempt to offer this noble fish on their menu. 

Before this fine Skrei rea­ches the pla­te, it is appro­xi­m­ate­ly 5 to 7 years old and has tra­ve­led seve­ral hundred kilo­me­ters from the Barents Sea to the coast of the Lofoten Islands. It owes its name ‚Skrei‘ to this migration—derived from the Norwegian word ‚skri­da‘, mea­ning wanderer! 

Skrei can be pre­pared just like cod. It is best poa­ched, pan-fried on the skin, or gent­ly coo­ked. This pre­ser­ves its deli­ca­te fla­vor. The taste can be fur­ther enhan­ced through various side dis­hes and spices.