Fish

Cod

Cod (Gadus morhua and related gadids such as Pacific cod) is a lean white fish with large flakes, mild flavour, and a firm yet delicate texture when cooked just opaque. Fresh loins and fillets take frying, roasting, and gentle poaching well; salt-cod (bacalhau, baccalà, klippfisk) is a different product—dried and salted for months of storage, then desalinated before use. Cheeks and tongues are small sweet morsels; heads and frames make excellent stock. Atlantic fisheries shaped European and North American diets for centuries, from medieval stockfish trade to fish-and-chips and Portuguese festival dishes. Sustainability and stock status vary by fishery and gear; prefer well-managed sources. Cook gently—cod dries if pushed past done—and pair with butter, citrus, tomato, curry spices, or salt-cod sauces that stand up to desalting.