Fish
Alaska Pollock
A tier
Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) is the high-volume Bering Sea whitefish behind surimi, fish sticks, and vast frozen fillet trade—not the same species as Atlantic Pollachius pollachius. Flesh is mild, lean, and fine-flaked with a clean taste that takes industrial and home processing equally well. Wild Alaska fisheries dominate global supply. Use for fish fingers, chowders, gentle baking, and Asian surimi products. Quality blocks stay firm and white; cheap refrozen product can be watery. For steaks and premium plates, seek named MSC Alaska pollock rather than anonymous whitefish mince.
Track this ingredient
Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Indigenous North Pacific peoples used pollock among regional food fishes.
Industrial Alaska pollock fisheries scaled for surimi and frozen fillets.
Americanization of the fishery and MSC certification shaped modern branding.
Alaska pollock remained one of the world’s largest whitefish resources.