THE NEW NORDIC food trend continues to make inroads from Midtown Manhattan to northeastern New South Wales. But these days it seems to be stirring the pot most vigorously right at home—in Norway. This is a mild surprise: While other Scandinavian countries have led the charge, until recently, sky-high prices and middling food quality in many of Norway’s restaurants could lead tourists to think of eating there as a necessary evil.

I’ve occasionally visited the country over the decades, chalking up memories of glorious fjords,...