He was hooked from the moment when he as a six-years-old boy caught a gigantic cod in the stony fjords of Greenland with a simple hand line and fishing lure. Danish chef, Mikkel Karstad recalls childhood summers being spent on the Danish islands where the hunt for fish and seafood transformed into simple and tasty dishes. Fish inspired him to train as a chef at the renowned Krogs Fiskerestaurant in Copenhagen where he learned to master this ingredient.

Gone Fishing is the title of Mikkel Karstad’s recent book. With the quest of sharing his passion for fish and seafood and learning others the simplicity and straightforwardness in serving fish, he shares 80 simple recipes. He takes us on a fishing trip around the lakes, rivers, and coastline of his native Denmark, catching and cooking fish and shellfish from sustainable species only. With beautiful photography by Anders Schønnemann, Gone Fishing also chronicles a getaway to the wild beauty and vast lake system of Immeln in southern Sweden where Mikkel checks into the Vipp Shelter. 

With panorama views to the Immeln lake, the Vipp Shelter stands like a black steel and glass pod gently placed in nature. The 55m2 nature retreat is fully equipped with Vipp products including a kitchen where Mikkel prepares the simple accompaniment to the catch of the day. Plenty of fish inhabit the lake such as bream, pike, roach, tench, lavaret, whitefish, eel, trout, and perch. The latter catches the hook of Mikkel’s fishing rod and ends up on the bonfire and eventually on the dinner plate.