As the story goes, in 1956 famed Swedish chef Tore Wretman was competing in a sailing race in Skagen, Denmark, when a sudden lack of wind dashed his crew’s chances of victory. To cheer up his disappointed crew, with only eggs, dill, lemon, shrimp and oil on board Wretman crafted a dish that would become legendary: skagenrora.

New Port Melbourne eatery Lilijana has made the creamy salad one of its signatures. The Bay Street spot’s skagenrora is made with local prawns and is served on a soft house-made bun.

The new deli is the creation of husband-and-wife team Chris and Christine Wong, who also run pizza catering business Porcupine Eatery.

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Chris (ex-400 Gradi), who spent over a decade playing professional ice hockey in Sweden and Finland, learnt traditional Finnish cooking techniques like smoking, curing and pickling from a friend’s grandmother in the city of Espoo, a 25-minute drive from Helsinki. “She baked bread in a wood oven and cured fish in little sheds,” Chris tells Broadsheet. “A lot of that traditional baking and fermenting is hard to find in Melbourne. I missed it and wanted to bring it here.”

The menu features Nordic staples such as sardines, smoked ham, and risengrod (a sweet Nordic rice porridge) with stewed blueberries. But the standout items are the specialty plates which see items – including Danish cured salmon, Hungarian salami, and spiced butter beans – served with pickles, crostini and house-baked sourdough.

Fika, the Swedish coffee and cake break tradition, runs Tuesday through Sunday between 2pm and 4pm. For $9.50, you can enjoy a house-made pastry, which could be a slice of blueberry tart, a cinnamon and cardamom bun, or a sun bun (soft custard-filled buns), and coffee made with Zest beans.

The couple also champion producers who have migrated to Melbourne and brought their food traditions with them. At the deli you’ll find products from Long Paddock Cheese (run by head cheesemaker Ivan Larcher, originally from France) and Puopolo Artisan Salami (founded by Vitangelo Puopolo, who moved from Italy to Australia in the 1960s).

The venue is a tribute to Christine’s late nonna, Lilijana. Born in Slovenia and having moved to Melbourne in the 1960s, Lilijana worked at local landmarks including the Preston Market and San Remo Ballroom. “Nonna dedicated her life to spreading the warmest love and most delightful food to those around her,” Christine tells Broadsheet. “We wanted to create a space that reflected the hospitality and warmth she gave us.”

Lilijana Eatery
169 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
No phone

Hours:
Tue to Sun 8am–4pm

www.lilijanaeatery.com.au