Monday, January 31, 2011

Smoked Black Cod

How did I get so old before discovering smoked black cod? It has an exquisite buttery texture and a rich smokey taste that is sublime. At parties, guests race to consume everything but the skin. Even up against smoked salmon (which is almost a state dish), the black cod will win out. Most people love it at first bite. My husband is one of the few holdouts. Because cod (or sablefish) lives in very deep water, it is an oily fish. That reminds me that people have taken cod liver oil for decades for health: I wonder if eating smoked black cod daily could be considered a daily vitamin supplement? It does make me feel good to eat it...  There must be some kind of biological mechanism related to craving oil in cold weather. I know I do eat more of it in winter.

A close friend who introduced it to me makes a simple dish by mixing it with wild and brown rice. Despite its simplicity, or maybe because of it, this dish is delicious and a perfect "10" when it comes to satisfying.

A few weeks ago, I talked to a gentleman who has worked in the meat and fish industry for a long time here in Juneau. He said that 20 years ago, his company produced 300-400 lbs. a year of smoked black cod. That was the market for it then. Now, he said, they produce that much every month! For a town of 32,000.

It didn't take long for this smoked black cod to disappear. It turning cold so it's time for me to support my local smoked black cod industry again.





1 comment:

  1. Mmmmmm! I love it too! Reminds me of the smoked white fish I ate growing up on the East Coast.

    ReplyDelete