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Black Cod


phillaurie

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My fishmonger gave me some Black Cod at the weekend for the same price as Halibut, a reasonable discount on the £26 per Kilo cost, no very reasonable. I grilled it and we had it with a butter sauce, everyone round the table thought it was fantastic, it had a wonderfull gelatinous flavour/texture. But I have a couple of questions :

1. Where does Black Cod come from ?

2. Is it sustainably fished ?

3. It was great grilled, how else can you cook it, I have no recipies in my 200 odd cookbook collection.

THANKS

Phil

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Cool fish site. Thanks, vengroff.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Cheers

Thats interesting

How do you find Applebys? I've always thought the selection and the freshness was a bit dodge; but one point I'd make for Borough Mkt as a whole is that apart from the scallop people the seafood selection/quality doesn't match up to the rest of the produce on offer.

Waitose in Canary Wharf - only three stops down the Jubilee - however does have one hell of a seafood selection, especially for a supermarket. Got some trout there the other week so fresh the slime was still on it - turned blue when poached like proper truite au bleu!

J

More Cookbooks than Sense - my new Cookbook blog!
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A favorite of mine....

One of the traditional Japanese recipes for black cod is to marinate it for about 24 hours in sake lees (sake kasu) and then grill or pan-fry the fish. The flavor is very rich and unique. Here's a link to an article about black cod including a recipe for kasu black cod. I think kasu is readily available in most Asian markets.

Most women don't seem to know how much flour to use so it gets so thick you have to chop it off the plate with a knife and it tastes like wallpaper paste....Just why cream sauce is bitched up so often is an all-time mytery to me, because it's so easy to make and can be used as the basis for such a variety of really delicious food.

- Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink, 1946

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Applebys is like most good fishmongers, not all the stock is good but they always have something that is. Thats why I almost never have a shopping list when buying fish, the same can be said for Borough as whole, not all stock is of the very highest standard. But there again most markets in France, Italy and elsewhere are the same. Current favourite stall is the Isle of White Tomato man, a tray of beefsteak toms has made 5 Jam jars of Tomato ketchup which is a revelation.

I will certainly try the Waitrose in the Wharfe, next time I visit Gotham City.

BTW, does anyone use Ocado internet service ? We find it very good.

Regards

Phil

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Are we talking about West Coast Black Cod (Sablefish, Butterfish)?

We sell a lot of fish at the restaurant ( Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House ) and Black Cod always is in the top 5 most popular ( 4800 pounds a year).

We used to have a Mega Chef living in Vancouver named Michael Nobel (competed in Iron Chef, Japan) who smoked Black Cod and served it with a simple beurre blanc and roe. He was the originator of the popularity of this fish. It really was a byproduct of the West Coast fishery until he realized the potential of this beast.

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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Black cod is also nice covered in a paste of white miso (shiro-miso) thinned with sake and/or mirin, marinated for 30 or so minutes, and baked or broiled (time dependent on thickness and watch distance from the broiler to avoid burning the miso). Similar to the kasu suggestion above....

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Black cod is also nice covered in a paste of white miso (shiro-miso) thinned with sake and/or mirin, marinated for 30 or so minutes, and baked or broiled (time dependent on thickness and watch distance from the broiler to avoid burning the miso).  Similar to the kasu suggestion above....

This is the Nobu black cod with miso thing, right?

I'm curious, is it true this is a trad. Jap dish? People seem to assume that Nobu invented it (he certainly popularised it); would be curious to know the real background

cheerio

J

PS has anyone heard of Arctic (Antarctic?) Icefish? Have ran across it in the supermarket a few times (previously frozen) - it is white, meaty, also has a sort of gelatinous texture (something to do with deep sea fish having different fluids in their blood, I think)

Edited by Jon Tseng (log)
More Cookbooks than Sense - my new Cookbook blog!
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Black cod is also nice covered in a paste of white miso (shiro-miso) thinned with sake and/or mirin, marinated for 30 or so minutes, and baked or broiled (time dependent on thickness and watch distance from the broiler to avoid burning the miso).  Similar to the kasu suggestion above....

This is the Nobu black cod with miso thing, right?

I'm curious, is it true this is a trad. Jap dish? People seem to assume that Nobu invented it (he certainly popularised it); would be curious to know the real background

cheerio

J

PS has anyone heard of Arctic (Antarctic?) Icefish? Have ran across it in the supermarket a few times (previously frozen) - it is white, meaty, also has a sort of gelatinous texture (something to do with deep sea fish having different fluids in their blood, I think)

This dish has been in Japan since looong before Nobu was even born. This is a very popular way of preparing fish in Japan, though nowadays people tend to buy already in the "marinade" and grill it rather then "marinating" it themselves.

As to its official history I have no idea but it sounds like Kyoto thing to me because of the use of white miso.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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  • 2 months later...

On a whim I tried cooking Black Cod (aka Sablefish) with pesto recently and was extremely pleased with the results. Pan seared flesh side down on high for several minutes, flip it, cover with pesto and then put in the oven on broil for a few more minutes. The flavors and textures blend really nicely. Black cod seems to be reasonably priced and of great quality in Seattle recently.

Most women don't seem to know how much flour to use so it gets so thick you have to chop it off the plate with a knife and it tastes like wallpaper paste....Just why cream sauce is bitched up so often is an all-time mytery to me, because it's so easy to make and can be used as the basis for such a variety of really delicious food.

- Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink, 1946

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  • 2 years later...

Need to revive this thread and see if anyone has some suggestions.

This is going to be a weekend a of fish smoking (in a Bradley) and one I am trying is black cod. Can't seem to find any recommendations for brines, times, or temps - suggestions?

Dave

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Black cod is actually sablefish, so you may find some recipes for the latter.

Here are some details on the fish.

Au contraire,

sablefish is actually black cod

You shouldn't eat grouse and woodcock, venison, a quail and dove pate, abalone and oysters, caviar, calf sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, and ducks all during the same week with several cases of wine. That's a health tip.

Jim Harrison from "Off to the Side"

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Need to revive this  thread and see if anyone has some suggestions.

  This is going to be a weekend a of fish smoking (in a Bradley) and one I am trying is black cod.  Can't seem to find any  recommendations for brines, times, or temps - suggestions?

Dave

Oregon State has a decent .pdf primer on smoking fish here: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/PNW/PNW238.pdf

Another one here, with suggested times and temps:

http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/pubs/smoking.htm

And another:

http://www.3men.com/threemen1.htm

Hong Kong Dave

O que nao mata engorda.

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It's done. Yesterday was the day of "smoke"

First somked shrimp, the black cod/hake/sablefish were in at same time.

Make smoked shriimp casideas (sp) with widl mushrooms and cheese alnog with black beans, rice and plantains.

The black cod/hake/sablefish was brined in a stock fish bring and came out like butter, Tomorrow night I will try it poached with some steamed vegies.

After that I did some freezer king from last season with a rub and albacore that turned out to everyone's satisfaction.

Here's one for all you fish experts: I was to a grand opening today of the biggest Korean supermarket in Federal Way. Biggest and highest quality Korean store I have ever seen, including in Korea.They were selling live fluke for $19.96 a pound. What gives? Why isf luke so pricy with the Koreans, it's almost trash fish here in the PNW?

Dave

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I have enjoyed Black Cod for years prepared all the ways previously mentioned as well as simply Boiled with Potatoes it alway tastes good.

Before I lived in Asia and the Pacific Nothwest I never had eaten it cooked fresh.

It was always very popular in New York area Appetizing stores as "Smoked Sable".

While its smoked in Seattle I feel there is no comparison with the Smoked Sable made in NYC.

I recently served Sable to a Fisherman friend in his 80's who fished in Alaska since he was a teenager who never had tried the NYC variation.

I shared with him and his wife Smoked Sable sliced to order from "Russ & Daughter's". This weekend was invited to his house for a Barbecue of Cooper River King Salmon where he served Smoked Sable he had ordered from "Russ & Daughters" together with "Kippered Smoked Salmon" that I had told him was the best tasting rendition of Salmon in my opinion.

Everyone was awed by the Sable but even more impressed with the Kippered Smoked Salmon that was more oily and juicy sweet then the Cooper River King sides I wound up cooking just seasoned with melted sweet butter, sea salt and fresh dill. Cooked until they became opaque and firmed up. It was a true feast of the Oceans that pleased him since all the fish originated in Alaska.

Every time I have tried local or west coast Smoked Kippered Salmon it has been dry and not even vaguely similar to the Cold Smoked mildly cured Fish available in NYC.

It sometimes seems like magic the way Fish taste that are Smoked in NYC by reliable suppliers.

Irwin

Edited by wesza (log)

I don't say that I do. But don't let it get around that I don't.

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