Last updated: 16 December, 2024 @ 14:40
Ask someone, anyone, living in these isles to name a fish and they’ll probably say cod.
Even those unusual people that exclaim not to like fish (as if all fish is the same) will make an exception for cod – and they’ll happily scoff it down alongside their curry sauce and pineapple fritters.
Don’t get us wrong, we love the occasional cod and chips from t’ chippy. It’s become part of our identity.
However, there’s so much more to cod than just being battered and doused in lemon and vinegar.
Recipes for salt cod
If you are a regular buyer of cod then you’ll know it can be cooked many different ways and is a fish worth experimenting with.
We like salt cod – and there are many recipes, with one of our favourites being Bunyols de Bacalla, or Catalan Salt Cod Fritters to our non-Catalan friends.
There’s a great recipe in, A Sherry and a Little Plate of Tapas, by Kay Plunkett-Hogge. You can read the Fish Face review ,or skip that bit, and buy the book from Amazon.
If you’re unwilling or unable to buy cod, then haddock, whiting, coley, or pollack make for good substitutes – with whiting especially good for salting.
Alternatively, look out for farmed cod. However, Mitch Tonks notes that farmed cod has a ‘distinct aroma of whole milk’. If you like milk, you’re on to a winner.
Seasonality
Avoid cod caught in the North Sea between February and April.
Sustainability
Read more on the latest Marine Conservation Society Good Fish Guide ratings.