End of Summer and a Crayfish Party Plate at Ikea

mmm-yoso!!! is food blog based in San Diego County. Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy share blogging duty. Really, it's narratives about food we ate, eat and enjoy.  Sometimes there's an explanation other than just being hungry. Today, Cathy is chronicling another one of her adventures.

Hi.  The other day The Mister and I found ourselves in Mission Valley, at Ikea.  Ikea is the Swedish furniture store that has a cafeteria in the midst of furniture displays and a small grocery, called the Swede Shop, at the exit.  I've Posted about Ikea on two other occasions. We went to the Swede Shop looking for some snacks and noticed the advertising displays- all about the annual Crayfish Party, a Scandinavian celebration of the end of summer.

We could have purchased all the food and decorations for a party for $20...

The food consists of, naturally, kilo of crayfish (which are indeed crawfish, but in Scandinavia, the miniature lobsters are boiled in a dill based brine, instead of the cajun seasonings used for a crawfish boil)

some roe,

bread and cheese. (Sauce came frozen with the crayfish)

and always, gravad lox is part of any Swedish plate.

We decided to walk through the store first to get some exercise while looking at furniture and decor and buy the snack food on our way out. Then we saw this sign.  We could get a whole party for $3.99!

So we stopped at the cafeteria. 

I spied a whole plate of gravad lax (raw salmon cured with sugar, salt and dill) and took it from the cafeteria display. ($4.99)

We also saw lentil soup as the soup of the day.  I always like it from here.  ($1.99) It has a deep, rich flavor and is always thick with lentils. You can see my gravad lox plate had plenty of lox and a lot of spinach which I treated as salad. It came with a hot honey-mustard.  Heat, but not from chilis...Scandanavian spice...

The Crayfish Party! six cooked crayfish (served cold), small shrimp, crisp bread and cheese, roe, gravad lox on a bed of spinach. That's a half hard boiled egg topped with a mayonnaise in the center.  You can see the spices/flavor enhancers for Scandinavians consist mainly of dill and lemon.  Simple food. This was a satisfying and celebratory meal for $3.99. Very fancy and very nice.
The Mister is very good at opening crayfish...

We bought all the ingredients as we exited so we could have our own party at home. Easy and good. 

Yes, it is almost the end of summer.  Does anyone have any traditions for the change of seasons? 

IKEA 2149 Fenton Parkway 92108 (619)834-1520 
 

 

Comments

[Dennis]

That's really funny, I totally was at Ikea yesterday and saw that crayfish plate! Got the meatballs as usual though.

[foodhoe]

wow, I cannot handle the uncivilized crowds at Ikea... so I didn't know about all this delicious food! That is an excellent feast for $4, I'd go just to pickup some lox, that's also a really good price! Thanks for pointing it out

[Liz]

Crayfish party? Like the name of that dish. I have a love/hate with crawfish. Hate cracking them open but then I feel accomplished once I've gotten to the flesh.

[Faye]

Wow wow wow! I haven't been to Ikea in ages but now I have a reason to go! I'm not a big crawfish eater b/c I think it's alot of work to eat :)

I love their cafeteria - makes me feel like I'm a million bucks when I'm there b/c their food prices are so low...

[Carol]

You had me at crayfish, Cathy. Love crayfish and what a deal on all those dishes!

I usually start to think about "cold-weather" recipes around now like hot-pot, if the weather is mild. Hard to think about winter foods when it's 90 degrees out. I'm waiting until after Halloween to start planning the sausage-making. ;-)

[Cathy]

I do so love the consistency of the meatball plate here, too Dennis. But really, never have been disappointed with any item-and this was good and won't be available much longer.
Not all of the food here is fresh made, but rather reheated/thawed (the same stuff you can buy in the Swede Shop, even the meatballs) so as to be consistent at all stores, fh. I have found it all to be very good and comforting. We have a rule- if there is no parking sort of close or off to the side of the lot, we just don't stop that day. It can be stupid crowded sometimes.
Party on a plate, Liz. The Mister grew up in Boston and can crack a lobster like it was made of balsa-the crayfish were simple for him.
Hi Faye! We were just recalling this past week how we always went to -and really liked- cafeterias-at University, and out here there was a Furrs and a really cool French/circus themed cafeteria in a round building where Gordon Biersh is now. That sort of eating and food is somehow comforting.
The crayfish are really good here, Carol. I adore dill as a flavor with fish and all seafood. Halloween is the official start of Autumn in my mind also, but this Labor Day to Halloween time is a special time also-birthdays, winter planting (since the tomato plants and slowig down, the corn, beans and melons will go and squash will be ready to pick) and fewer out of town visitors, so the house doesn't have to be perfect...

[Rodzilla]

I've only recently discovered crawfish, and I love them. I would really like to try the Scandanavian brine.

And I don't think I could step in an Ikea without grabbing a bag of meatballs.

[Cathy]

The crayfish with dill do have a different flavor point than crawfish prepared with Cajun spices, Rod. Both are excellent and highlight the flavor of the bugs. The crayfish party plate is an easy way to sample a taste of Sweden. (Crayfish are in the freezer next to the meatballs)