A new Arctic char roe from Lapland is here. Its name is Gry. The virgin roe of the Arctic char is beautifully golden and slightly translucent. Now, once again, we have harvested virgin roe from our farms in Malgomaj and Hornavan—resulting in an exclusive yield. Just five kilos were gently hand-extracted before the young char were released back into the water. This year, the roe will be enjoyed solely under the protection of three Michelin stars.
The roe was produced in the cold, oxygen-rich waters of Lapland’s lakes Malgomaj and Hornavan. Here, in what is often referred to as Europe’s last wilderness, several of our Arctic char farms are located. The roe is the fish’s very first – its virgin roe – and has been carefully extracted by hand. After the process, the fish are returned to swim on in the cool water.
“We ended up with only 5 kg of roe this year. That’s nature – you can’t control it,” says Josef Nygren, CEO and founder.
The name Gry refers to beginnings – the egg as the start of life, and the new day awakening as the sun rises over the mountains.
All roe needs to be salted, and the salt content is critical for both flavor and texture. To ensure this small but precious harvest reached perfection, we enlisted Lars Brennwald, chef at the Michelin three-starred Restaurant Frantzén.
“As a chef, I’d rather add salt later than try to correct an overly salty roe. That’s why we kept the salt content down to 3%, which is lower than usual,” says Lars.
What sets Gry apart is its texture, directly linked to the hand-extraction method. Hand-pressed roe is drier and less cohesive than roe removed with the entire sac intact.
The taste of this Arctic char roe is mild and fresh, reminiscent of trout and rainbow trout roe—but Gry is easily recognizable by its smaller grains and distinct golden hue.
“The golden color is a delight. It’s also translucent, which means you have to consider that when pairing it with other ingredients,” says Lars Brennwald, offering examples of how to best enjoy the delicate grains: served as they are, with Arctic char tartare, or with grilled char accompanied by a blue mussel sauce and lemon thyme oil.
This year, the entire Gry roe harvest will be served exclusively at Restaurant Frantzén. But come next pressing in autumn 2026, we hope more people will have the chance to experience a new vintage of this virgin roe.
