BANGKOK — Thais love salmon and saba, which may be an understatement. The exports of fresh Norwegian salmon, mackerel (saba), and fjord trout to Thailand continues to grow, with a 12 percent growth in 2024, according to Ashild Nakken, Norwegian Seafood Council’s Director for Southeast Asia on Thursday.
Speaking at a special lunch at the Norwegian Residence in Bangkok, Nakken added as for 2025, so far, the exports of salmon and fjord trout have risen “by an impressive 18 percent.”
While 20 years ago, Norwegian seafood arriving in Thailand was mostly frozen, today 90 percent of these fish arrives fresh, transported by air, including via Thai Airways which for the past 12 months have resumed daily flights between Bangkok and Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Marking 120 years of Thai-Norway diplomatic relations, a small group of media representatives were invited for lunch at the Norwegian Residence on Thursday. It was more of a feast, prepared by Chef Jib, Chapornpat Dapachutisan, head chef at The Sukhothai Hotel’s Celadon Restaurant, who also operates a Chef Table in Bangkok.
The lunch successfully showcased how Norwegian salmon, saba, fjord trout and cold-water prawn can be employed to cook delicious Thai food such as grilled Norwegian mackerel with Northern Thai larb chili and pickled nango, fish sauce-cured Norwegian salmon with pear and chili mint sauce, tom kha soup with fjord trout, orange and young coconut, northern style tomato dipping with cold-water prawn, and more.
Chef Jib told the diners that Norwegian saba, which has tiger stripe, is particularly fatty and tasteful; it can be fried without oil and with little or no seasoning.
While enjoying the exclusive lunch, Nakken told Khaosod English’s Pravit Rojanaphruk that Thailand is Norway’s biggest seafood export destination, followed by Vietnam and Singapore. She added that around 90 percent of Norwegian seafood exports to Thailand is salmon.
Thai Airways has joined hands to celebrate 120 years of the two nations’ diplomatic relations by joining the Norwegian Embassy and Norwegian Seafood Council to run a campaign called “From Sea to Sky: 120 Years of Friendship” (and also marking one year of the resumption of direct daily flights between Bangkok and Oslo) by giving away 6 round-trip tickets from Bangkok to Oslo valued at 390,000 baht when purchasing Norwegian seafood products at participating stores and restaurants nationwide.
From now until June 15, it’s for those purchasing Norwegian saba, followed by salmon between July and August.
Phi-roon Sakulthong, Team Lead for Nordic Countries at Thai Airways, said he trusts that the campaign is the start of countless years of friendship to come.
The Thai Airways executive added that while 15 to 18 tonnes of Norwegian seafood is flown via TG daily, some goes to Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. On the other hand, he said, many Thais are now visiting Norway to see the aurora.
Welcoming the guests to the Norwegian Residence was Deputy Head of the Norwegian Mission in Bangkok Thea Martine Ottmann, who is acting as chargé d’affaires, who said Thailand established the diplomatic ties with Norway from the first year of Norway’s independence in 1905.
“Thailand has been our friend from the very beginning,” she said, adding that she is looking forward to see the signed free trade agreement with Norway under EFTA (which includes Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) hopefully come into effect in early 2026.
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