GETTING PICKLED AND SMOKED IN PETERSBURG
BY CHELSEA TREMBLAY
For the Capital City Weekly
On a cold December morning in Petersburg, KFSK radio station development director Orin Pierson stopped his list of the week’s events to catch listeners’ attention.
“The pickled herring competition is tonight! At the Sons of Norway Hall. Always a fun time. Always great. And, I mean, I don’t remember precisely what dish it was, but I had something last year that — quite literally — melted my brain.”
The competition for Petersburg’s annual pickled herring contest can be friendly yet fierce, with closely guarded secrets accrued over years — brain-melting ones included. Sig Mathisen has participated for around 30 years. He typically submits a number of dishes for evaluation, and they vary based on what he can catch.
“I only got one eel this year. You know, I was going to make eel ceviche, but thought I’d hold off on keeping any until closer to the time. Turns out that time of year we were [longlining] in deeper water than usual and we didn’t get any, so, that’s the way it goes I guess,” he said.
Those entering the competition dropped off their entries a full hour before the doors opened to the public, then the participants sat back and waited. The entries sat on four tables set up separately on one end of the hall. Each table held a category to be judged: pickled herring, pickled seafood, smoked salmon, and smoked seafood. Some of those entering the competition were first-timers, some have been doing this for decades, and all were anonymous while the dishes awaited the judges. The dishes would be judged on four criteria: appearance, firmness, color and taste.
There is a different group of judges for each category. Peter Machalek has been a pickled herring judge for around ten years, and looks forward to the event.
“Yeah I love it,” he says. “I mean, it’s a lot of fun, and every year it’s something different.”
In past years, the public stood and watched the judges contemplate their decisions. It added to the tension before the winners were announced but also added pressure to the job of the judges, as they worked while knowing a hungry crowd was waiting on their decision-making.
This year, organizers found a solution. The public was put to “work” judging appetizers provided by community members. The appetizers were laid out on a long row of tables down the center of the half of the hall not filled with pickled or smoked items. Creative uses of seafood and veggies were rewarded with star stickers, and the growing crowd of people was kept occupied while the official competition was underway.
Harbormaster and Sons of Norway president Glo Wollen stood at the door much of the evening, directing members of the public as to where to place their fashionably late appetizer. She listed the variety of dishes she’d prepared for the evening: one pickled king crab, three pickled herring, two pickled king crab tail, one salmon dip, and one crab artichoke dip. “Oh, and cookies!” she laughed. (Pre-emptive apologies if I mixed those up.)
I sat at a table, snacking off my plate of appetizers and people-watching while waiting for the judge’s tabulations to turn into formal announcements. Next to me was my mom, watching the room to see who all had come back for the holidays. Across the table was Emil Tucker and his daughter, doing pretty much the same thing. Tucker had an entry in the pickled herring competition this year.
“I feel like every town has its quirky thing. This is about as quirky as it gets though,” he said.
It’s a quirky yet eagerly anticipated part of the holiday season for many, including visitors. Erin Kandoll’s brother visits from Indiana for the holidays every year, and this year timed his visit so he could be in town for the pickled and smoked feast. “He made it early on accident one year then missed it the last few years and was bummed. So this year he came up especially for this event,” she said.
Eventually Glo Wollen made her way to the front of the hall, getting the crowd’s attention as she prepared to announce the winners. She thanked the volunteers who helped organize the event, led by Cynthia Mathisen, and extended a few special thanks to the crew of the Defiant, who caught the herring, and Icicle Seafoods, for allowing participants have their pick of the catch. Then finally, it was time. The 2016 winners were:
Smoked Salmon- Rob Swanson, represented by his son Adam.
Smoked Seafood– Sig Mathisen
Pickled Seafood– Carolyn Kvernvik
Pickled Herring– Bill Olsen
Different groups of the audience erupted at each announcement, and the beaming winners made their way to the front of the room to collect their trophies and pose for pictures.
Once the pictures were done, the metaphorical gates opened and the public sampled the delights of the evening.
“I’m in the company of giants,” Emil Tucker said, as he put pieces of pickled herring on his plate.
I tried an assortment from the category, wanting to do my own version of the judging. The tang of citrus, varying levels of moisture and other accent flavors soon became crowded on my plate and palate alike. But somehow I couldn’t stop eating the pickled herring.
The night began to wind down as plates emptied and stomachs filled. The winners took home their trophies and the knowledge their names would soon be added to the plaques at the Sons of Norway Hall. For the public it was an evening of socializing and sampling. For the participants who went away without a trophy, it was another year of striving. Mental or real notes may have been taken, noting shifts in the judges’ tastes and trends among the dishes. It’s important to note these things; after all, there’s always next year.
• Chelsea Tremblay lives, writes and sells books in Petersburg. Visit her at ofpeopleandplaces.net.
Some of the many entries in the “pickled” category.
One of the entries for the “smoked” category.
The much-sought-after pickled herring statue amidst the competing dishes.
