{{Short description|Gadidae fishes in human nutrition and cooking}} thumb|right|Preserved codfish
Cod and other cod-like fish have been widely used as food through history. Other cod-like fish come from the same family (Gadidae) that cod belong to, such as haddock, pollock, and whiting.
==Cod== thumb|Canned cod liver Cod is popular as a food with a mild flavour and a dense, flaky white flesh. Young Atlantic cod or haddock prepared in strips for cooking is called scrod. The cod's head has two main variety meat cuts: the cod tongue (not actually the tongue, but the lower jaw and chin barbel); and the cod cheek. The swim bladder is also a delicacy or traditional food, such as in Portugal.<ref name=FR>{{Citation |title=The Cut of Fish That's Often Thrown Out But Is A Delicacy In Newfoundland, Canada |last=Suppa |first=Carl J |date=2025-04-08 |url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/1824038/cut-of-fish-cod-tongues-newfoundland-canada/ |publisher=Food Republic}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Línguas de Bacalhau |date=2025-08-30 |work=Enciclopédia do Bacalhau |url=https://historiabacalhau.pt/node/44 |publisher=Centro Interpretativo da História do Bacalhau|lang=pt|trans-title=Cod Tongues}}</ref>
Cod's soft liver can be canned or fermented into cod liver oil, providing an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA).{{citation needed|date=February 2011}}
In the United Kingdom, Atlantic cod is one of the most common ingredients in fish and chips, along with haddock and plaice. Cod can be easily turned into various other products, such as cod liver oil, omega pills, etc.{{Cn|date=February 2021}}
According to the laws of kashrut, cod is considered kosher because it is a fish with both fins and scales.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4651841/jewish/Is-Cod-Kosher.htm |title=Is Cod Kosher? |website=Chabad.org |access-date=2023-04-08}}</ref>
==Other cod-like fish== {{More citations needed section|date=January 2021}} ===Haddock=== {{nutritionalvalue | name=Haddock, roast| kJ=469 | protein=24.24 g | fat=0.93 g | carbs=0.0 g | fiber= 0.0 g | | iron_mg=1.35 | calcium_mg=42 | magnesium_mg=50 | phosphorus_mg=241 | potassium_mg=399 | zinc_mg=0.48 | vitC_mg=0.00 | pantothenic_mg=0.150 | vitB6_mg=0.346 | folate_ug=13 | thiamin_mg=0.040 | riboflavin_mg=0.045 | niacin_mg=4.632 | source_usda=1 }}
Haddock is a popular food fish, sold fresh, smoked, frozen, dried, and, to a small extent, canned. Haddock, along with cod and plaice, is one of the most popular fish used in British fish and chips.
Fresh haddock has a clean white flesh and can be cooked in the same ways as cod. Freshness of a haddock fillet can be determined by how well it holds together, as a fresh one will be firm; also, fillets should be translucent, while older fillets turn a chalky hue. Young, fresh haddock and cod fillets are often sold as scrod in Boston, Massachusetts; this refers to the size of the fish which have a variety of sizes, i.e. scrod, markets, and cows. Haddock is the predominant fish of choice in Scotland in a fish supper. It is also the main ingredient of Norwegian fishballs (fiskeboller).
Unlike the related cod, haddock does not salt well and is often preserved by drying and smoking.
The smoking of haddock is something that was highly refined in Grimsby. Traditional Grimsby smoked fish (mainly haddock, but sometimes cod) is produced in the traditional smoke houses in Grimsby, which are mostly family-run businesses that have developed their skills over many generations.<ref name=gtfs>[http://www.gtfsgroup.co.uk/history.html Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903070347/http://www.gtfsgroup.co.uk/history.html |date=2010-09-03 }}</ref> Grimsby fish market sources its haddock from the North East Atlantic, principally Iceland, Norway and Faroe. These fishing grounds are sustainably managed<ref name=ice>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ices.dk/committe/acom/comwork/report/2010/Special%20Requests/Icelandic%20cod%20management%20plan.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206231019/http://www.ices.dk/committe/acom/comwork/report/2010/Special%20Requests/Icelandic%20cod%20management%20plan.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Icelandic Request on the Evaluation of Icelandic Cod and Haddock Management Plan|archive-date=December 6, 2010|access-date=May 30, 2026}}</ref> and have not seen the large scale depreciation in fish stocks seen in EU waters.<ref name=eu>{{Cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52008DC0331|title=Communication from the Commission to the Council - Fishing Opportunities for 2009 : Policy Statement from the European Commission|website=Eur-lex.europa.eu|date=May 30, 2008|access-date=May 30, 2026}}</ref>
One popular form of haddock is Finnan haddie, named for the fishing village of Finnan or Findon in Scotland, where it was originally cold-smoked over peat. Finnan haddie is often served poached in milk for breakfast.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotland_on_tv/video.html?vxSiteId=60fdd544-9c52-4e17-be7e-57a2a2d76992&vxChannel=Food%20Recipes&vxClipId=1380_SMG1149&vxBitrate=300 |title=Full recipe for Finnan Haddie from Scottish chef John Quigley |access-date=2012-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024113234/http://www.scotlandontv.tv/scotland_on_tv/video.html?vxSiteId=60fdd544-9c52-4e17-be7e-57a2a2d76992&vxChannel=Food%20Recipes&vxClipId=1380_SMG1149&vxBitrate=300 |archive-date=2007-10-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The town of Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland produces the Arbroath Smokie. This is a hot-smoked haddock which requires no further cooking before eating.
Smoked haddock naturally has an off-white color; it is very often dyed yellow, as are other smoked fish. Smoked haddock is the essential ingredient in the Anglo-Indian dish kedgeree.
In 2010, Greenpeace International has added the haddock to its seafood red list. "The Greenpeace International seafood red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/seafood/red-list-of-species|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702100700/http://www.greenpeace.org/international/seafood/red-list-of-species|url-status=dead|title=Greenpeace International Seafood Red list|archive-date=Jul 2, 2008|access-date=May 30, 2026}}</ref>
===Pollock=== {{Excerpt|Pollock|As food}}
==List of dishes== {|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; height:100px;" ! style="width:20%;"|Name ! style="width:7%;"|Image ! style="width:13%;"|Origin ! style="width:60%;"|Description |- | Ackee and saltfish | 120px | Jamaica | Salt cod sautéed with boiled ackee, onions, Scotch Bonnet peppers ''(optional)'', tomatoes, and spices, such as black pepper and pimiento. It can be garnished with crisp bacon and fresh tomatoes, and is usually served as breakfast or dinner alongside breadfruit, hard dough bread, dumplings, fried plantain, or bogreen bananas. Jamaica's national dish. |- | Bacalaíto | 120px | Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic | Salt cod fritters filled with minced cod fish and garnished with cilantro, tomatoes and onions. A traditional snack typically eaten with an entire meal. Bacalaítos are served at the beach, ''cuchifritos'', and at festivals. They are crisp on the outside and dense and chewy in the inside. |- | Baccalà mantecato | 120px | Italy | A Venetian appetizer of whipped salt cod.<ref name="mantecato1">{{cite web |title=Baccalà mantecato, a Venetian delicacy |url=https://www.visitvenezia.eu/en/venetianity/flavours-of-venice/baccala-mantecato-a-venetian-delicacy |website=Visit Venezia |access-date=13 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Scavo">{{cite news |last1=Scavo |first1=Rosemarie |title=Baccalà Mantecato |url=https://www.italymagazine.com/recipe/baccala-mantecato-0 |access-date=13 May 2021 |work=ITALY Magazine |date=4 April 2017 |language=en}}</ref> |- | Cabbie claw | |Scotland and Orkney | Made with speldings, young fish of the family Gadidae such as cod, haddock or whiting. The name is a derivative of ''cabillaud'', the French name for cod. Other ingredients include parsley, horseradish and mashed potato. The sauce is made with butter, flour, milk, hard-boiled eggs, and nutmeg. Alternate versions outside the traditional version's only difference are usually an addition of more spices. |- | Bacalhau à Brás | 120px | Portugal | Made with eggs, onions thinly sliced, potatoes in matchstick-size, salt codfish, soaked, minced garlic clove, extra virgin olive oil, bunch fresh parsley, chopped black Portuguese olives, salt and pepper.<ref>[http://cookinglisbon.com/recipes/fish/bras-style-codfish/] {{dead link|date=May 2026}}</ref> |- | Crappit heid | | Scotland | ''(English: stuffed head).'' Can be traced to the fishing communities of the North, Hebrides and North-Eastern Scotland in the eighteenth century. In a time when money was scarce, the more expensive fillets of fish, such as cod or haddock would be sold to market but the offal and less attractive parts were retained by the fisherfolk for the pot. |- | Cullen skink | 120px | Scotland | Thick soup made of smoked haddock, potatoes and onions. An authentic cullen skink will use finnan haddie, but it may be prepared with any other undyed smoked haddock. The soup is often served as a starter at formal Scottish dinners. It has been described as "smokier and more assertive than American chowder and heartier than classical French bisque".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/jan/05/how-to-cook-perfect-cullen-skink |title=How to cook perfect cullen skink |first=Felicity |last=Cloake |author-link=Felicity Cloake |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 January 2012}}</ref> |- | Fish and brewis | 120px | Newfoundland | Consists of cod and ''hard bread'' or ''hard tack''. With the abundance of cod around the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador it became synonymous with many Newfoundland households as a delicacy to be served as a main meal. Salt fish is soaked in water overnight to reduce the salt content. The hard bread is broken into bite-size pieces, and is also soaked in water overnight. The next day, the fish and hard bread are boiled separately until tender, and then both are served together. The traditional meal is served with ''scrunchions'',<ref>[http://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/azindex/pages/3947.html Newfoundland Dictionary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603231110/http://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/azindex/pages/3947.html |date=2013-06-03 }}</ref> salted pork fat which has been cut into small pieces and fried. Both the rendered fat and the liquid fat are then drizzled over the fish and hard bread. |- | Fish ball | 120px | Widespread | Usually made from a white fish, such as cod or haddock |- | Fishcake | 120px | British | Similar to a croquette, consisting of a filleted fish and potato patty sometimes coated in breadcrumbs or batter, and fried. Salted cod is traditionally used as a filling, though since cod stocks have become depleted other varieties of white fish are used, such as haddock or whiting.<ref name="fishtype">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/842990.stm|title="Has cod had its chips?", BBC News | date=2000-07-20 | access-date=2010-01-04}}</ref> The fishcake has been seen as a way of using up leftovers that might otherwise be thrown away. In Mrs Beeton's 19th century publication ''Book of Household Management'', her recipe for fishcakes calls for "leftover fish" and "cold potatoes".<ref name="beeton">[http://thefoody.com/mrsbfish/fishcake.htmll] {{dead link|date=May 2026}}</ref> |- | Fish finger | 120px | United Kingdom | |- | Esqueixada | | Catalonia | A salad of shredded salt cod, tomatoes, onions, olive oil and vinegar, salt, and sometimes a garnish of olives or hard-boiled eggs. |- | Fish fry | 120px | Widespread | |- | Fish pie | 120px | | |- | Fried fish | 120px | Widespread | |- | Lutefisk | 120px | Nordic countries | |- | Pescado frito | 120px | Spain | |- | Scrod | | New England and Atlantic Canada | |- | Shirako (milt) | | Widespread | |- | Taramosalata | 120px | Greece | |- | Traditional Grimsby smoked fish | 120px | Grimsby, England | |}
==See also== {{portal|Food}} {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Alaska pollock as food * Arbroath smokie * ''Bacalhau'' * Boknafisk * Cod liver oil * Dried and salted cod * Stockfish * Filet-O-Fish * List of smoked foods {{div col end}}
== Notes == {{reflist}}
== References == {{refbegin}} * {{FishBase genus|genus = Clupea|month = January|year = 2006}} * O'Clair, Rita M. and O'Clair, Charles E., "Pacific herring", ''Southeast Alaska's Rocky Shores: Animals''. p. 343–346. Plant Press: Auke Bay, Alaska (1998). {{ISBN|0-9664245-0-6}}. {{refend}}
==External links== {{Cookbook|Cod}} *[http://www.nfh.uit.no/phaeocystis/uvac/TIM.htm Long term trends in Norwegian cod fisheries – the pioneers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20120311082838/http://www.seafish.org/upload/file/fisheries_management/Cod%20Factsheet2%20APRIL%202007%20v.1.1.pdf Species factsheet on cod from the UK Sea Fish Industry Authority (PDF, 2MB)]
{{cod topics}} {{Seafood}} {{Meat|state=collapsed}} {{Lists of prepared foods}}
Category:Cod dishes Category:Commercial fish Category:Smoked fish Category:Types of food