Lutefisk

Here are my lutefisk related links. Like every good Norwegian-American, I try to attend at least one lutefisk dinner every year. The dinners are typically a fundraising event held at a Lutheran church.

The first one I attended was at Lakeview Lutheran in Madison near Warner Park, probably in 2006 or 2007. It was an interesting cultural experience. Lutefisk itself is kind of a gray, vaguely fishy jello-like substance. It really doesn’t taste like very much, but the smell as it is prepared is truly amazing. I’ve always wondered how they get the smell out of the church in time for the Sunday morning services!

Dinners

  • Vermont Lutheran Church hosts a very nice lutefisk dinner. Usually this is held on the third Saturday in October. I’ve been going here since 2016; it’s a really nice dinner and they even have rømmegrøt for dessert!
  • Orfordville Lutheran Church hosts a “Norwegian Dinner” on the fourth Saturday in October. Apparently they think that by not using the “L word” that more people will attend. I haven’t been to this one yet.
  • Barneveld Lutheran Church hosts a lutefisk dinner, usually on the first Saturday in November. I haven’t been to this one yet.
  • Christ Lutheran Church in DeForest hosts a lutefisk dinner usually on the second Saturday in November. This is a great dinner and I’ve been a regular visitor over the years.

Restaurants

  • Norske Nook at all three locations. On the first Sunday in December, they have a special lutefisk and/or meatball dinner. I went to the DeForest location in 2023 and I had the lutefisk and meatball dinner. The meatballs were very dense but good. The lutefisk was the newer version – not the grayish fishy Jello that I’ve come to know and love. Overall, it was not a bad lutefisk dinner; I will definitely go again.

Wisconsin Statutes