If you are looking for a smokehouse that values taste, tradition and quality, look no further than King Mikal. This award-winning company has a passion for fresh, local seafood that shines through in their products. Whether you prefer juniper-smoked trout or cured aquavit-marinated salmon, you will find something to suit your palate at King Mikal. Their products are so good, they are worthy of a royal feast. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a king to enjoy them.
Nestled in the green landscape of western Norway, about an hour and a half from Stavanger, lies the small village of Skiftun and the family-run smokehouse of Mikal O. Viga. Mikal grew up here, surrounded by the sea, boats and fish, and inherited a love for fishing from his family. His ancestors have been working with fish and fish smoking for generations, so it was natural for him to follow in their footsteps. But it was more than family history and scenic views that inspired him to start his own smokehouse.
In the 1980s, after working offshore, Mikal joined his parents’ salmon farming company where he was paid in fish instead of money. This unconventional salary turned out to be the start of his smokehouse adventure. Mikal built himself a smokehouse and used an old family recipe from the 1870s to make smoked salmon. He sold the fish to locals and tourists alike, and soon his smoked salmon became very popular. So popular, in fact, that he got a phone call from a director of a company in Switzerland who wanted to order 300 kg of smoked salmon. Mikal drove to Switzerland with his fish and without an export licence. The next year, the order doubled. But things got complicated the third year.
Mikal was stopped at the Swiss border with 1200 kg of smoked salmon in his boot and no paperwork. His customer was furious and threatened to cancel the order. That’s when Astrid, Mikal’s wife and CEO of King Mikal, decided that it was time to either quit or go all in. In the year 2000, King Mikal was officially established.
Quality, tradition and flavour are the pillars of King Mikal’s products. Mikal supervises the production himself and ensures that only the best is acceptable. The whole process is carefully monitored and each fish is given a number that can be traced for quality assurance. All ingredients are natural and many of them are locally sourced. The fish is fresh off the boat and often goes from sea to smokehouse in a matter of hours. ‘We have to think local and be a bit patriotic, sometimes.’ Mikal says. He believes it is important to know where our food comes from, how it is made and what it contains. He is committed to making real food and uses the term ‘slow food’ to describe King Mikal’s products. The process takes time, but the result is worth it: a fish full of flavour, rich and full-bodied like fine wine.
