Suaasat recipe

Greenlandic seal soup thickened by barley left to soak so its starch leaches into the broth, seasoned with almost nothing.

15 hours and 30 minutesmedium8 ingredients

Ingredients

• 800 g seal meat on the bone
• 100 g pearl barley
• 1 onion
• 400 g potatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2000 ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

How to make Suaasat

1. Soak 800 g of seal meat on the bone in cold water for 1 hour to draw out the blood and the strongest flavours, changing the water once. Reindeer, musk ox or seabird are the traditional substitutes when seal is not available.
2. Soak 100 g of pearl barley overnight in a bowl of water; the starch it releases is what thickens suaasat, and without it the soup is just boiled meat and vegetables.
3. Put the drained meat in a pot with 2 L of cold water, bring it slowly to the boil and skim the grey foam for the first 15 minutes.
4. Add 2 bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt, cover, and simmer very gently for 1 hour 30 to 2 hours until the meat falls off the bone.
5. Add 1 chopped onion and 400 g of potatoes cut into big chunks, and cook 25 minutes more.
6. Pour in the barley with its soaking water for the last 30 minutes, stirring once so it does not catch on the bottom.
7. Season with 1 teaspoon of black pepper and check the salt; the broth should be cloudy and coat a spoon.
8. Serve very hot in deep bowls with the meat still on the bone.

Get Copper on the App Store

More dishes from Greenland →