Black Cod

[Tight Spin]

I was given some black cod. I have never cooked it or eaten it.. Looking for a recipe. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Larry

[birddogdad]

I was given some black cod. I have never cooked it or eaten it.. Looking for a recipe. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Larry

its a nice white fish, pretty much any way you already cook those .. ling, rock ect..

[jay.sharkbait]

It’s amazing smoked

[92xj]

super oily fish, which is amazing.
Med heat cast iron.  A touch of cooking oil/butter/. Not a lot at all.  The fish will give off tons of oil while cooking.
Skin side down for 75% of the cook, to get the skin super crisp.  lightly coat flesh with some blackening seasoning. 
Once the fish is 75% cooked, flip and cook till done. 
I temp mine and pull around 135. You will see all the flakes separate when cooked.
Plate with skin up.  This will keep is crisp while you walk to the table and eat it. 

[MR5x5]

Here's an easy good one.

Scale the fillet.

Pan sear skin side down hot - hot with oil.  Think crispy skin which will be super tasty.
Flip and sear flesh side - figure 90/10 split between skin side a flesh side down. 
Keep skin side "up" always after it is seared.

Brown some butter.
Add honey to taste. Maybe some Pepper powder...

Drizzle butter/honey mix on the plated, skin side up, fish. 

If you get it right, the skin will be crispy and you will be happy!

[PKC]

Here is a Hank Shaw's recipe for smoked black cod that I've tried before.  Very Good!

https://honest-food.net/smoked-sablefish-recipe/

[Duckslayer89]

Smoke it. It’s the best smoked fish you’ll ever have

[Angry Perch]

I did a miso black cod the other day. Marinated in white miso, mirin, soy, and broiled about 3 minutes per side. Delicious and melts in your mouth.

[Skillet]

I can't argue with any of the above.  It's probably one of the most underrated fish we have in American waters.  Most of it has historically gone overseas, but the Covid changed the game.  A lot more is being kept for domestic production.

In fact, SPC (the co-operative I belong to) features black-cod in their direct-to-consumer sales every March.  I just got off the phone with Kendall, the main retail guy there, and he confirmed they have inventory and are currently running a discount online.  They have smoked black cod available too.

This ends up being a really good deal for anybody who used the discount code I worked out with them for our group, since our additional discounts are on top of their already-discounted price.  For details on how to make the most of that program check out this thread -

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,271831.msg3689886.html#msg3689886

A few HuntWa folks have used the code and picked up their fish themselves to maximize the benefit, so it sounds like it's working out as planned.

SPC is still doing the cross-promotion with the Naked Wine company and providing $100 coupon codes to their store in your box.

[206]

Bought a bunch last spring at Costco for maybe 6.99 /lb.  Whole and head off.  I chunked them floured and fried.  Haven't seen them this spring but should be in sometime soon.  Smoking them sounds like something for me to try.

[Duckslayer89]

I believe Costco fish is farm raised. Not dogging it, but I do like supporting Alaskan fisherman and buying wild whenever possible.

[206]

I believe Costco fish is farm raised. Not dogging it, but I do like supporting Alaskan fisherman and buying wild whenever possible.

I did not know that.  Explains the almost too much fat in the fish IMO.

[Skillet]

To the best of my knowledge, there are no viable farming operations for black cod at the moment.  I might be wrong though.  There was a tribe in WA that was looking at trying it a few years ago, not sure if they got anywhere with it.  BC might have a farming operation, wouldn't suprise me to learn if they did.

I believe Costco fish is farm raised. Not dogging it, but I do like supporting Alaskan fisherman and buying wild whenever possible.

I did not know that.  Explains the almost too much fat in the fish IMO.

That's just how all black cod is, and why most of it went overseas.  Americans love their halibut and gray cod, which are relatively lean cuts of whitefish.  Black cod is very high in natural oils and fat, that's the beauty of it, and Americans are learning the value of it, though slowly.

Those fish you found in Costco were likely fresh Washington fish, which are typically a bit smaller than those we have in AK.  The fish we use for the portions are much, much bigger, and the price goes up quickly with black cod the bigger they get.  A 5#-up carcass in AK is worth more to the boat this year than you paid retail for the smaller fish last year.  The retail prices for black cod are slowly recovering as well since Asia is in much better shape financially then they were over the last few years, so I'd expect the prices to be up across the board.

A big bonus for buying whole fresh black cod, though, is that the frame (typically about 20% of the weight of a head-off carcass) make for awesome crab bait.  Fold em up and stuff them in your bait cage.   

[JimmyHoffa]

I think the farm idea you're thinking of was to be in port Angeles. I've heard it is in court now. Jamestown tribe partnered with Cooke aquaculture wanted to raise black cod as well as other fish. Dnr said no fish farms a couple months ago, while I think it was approved months before that, hence the courts.

[Duckslayer89]

To the best of my knowledge, there are no viable farming operations for black cod at the moment.  I might be wrong though.  There was a tribe in WA that was looking at trying it a few years ago, not sure if they got anywhere with it.  BC might have a farming operation, wouldn't suprise me to learn if they did.

I believe Costco fish is farm raised. Not dogging it, but I do like supporting Alaskan fisherman and buying wild whenever possible.

I did not know that.  Explains the almost too much fat in the fish IMO.

That's just how all black cod is, and why most of it went overseas.  Americans love their halibut and gray cod, which are relatively lean cuts of whitefish.  Black cod is very high in natural oils and fat, that's the beauty of it, and Americans are learning the value of it, though slowly.

Those fish you found in Costco were likely fresh Washington fish, which are typically a bit smaller than those we have in AK.  The fish we use for the portions are much, much bigger, and the price goes up quickly with black cod the bigger they get.  A 5#-up carcass in AK is worth more to the boat this year than you paid retail for the smaller fish last year.  The retail prices for black cod are slowly recovering as well since Asia is in much better shape financially then they were over the last few years, so I'd expect the prices to be up across the board.

A big bonus for buying whole fresh black cod, though, is that the frame (typically about 20% of the weight of a head-off carcass) make for awesome crab bait.  Fold em up and stuff them in your bait cage.   

The black cod I saw at Costco said farm raised on the package. I was really surprised… around 10 years ago we were getting 9+ dollars a pound for black cod in AK. Those were the days! 43,000 cut pound trip of W Yak was $$$$.

[Stein]

I like Costco's beef for what it is, but I don't touch their fish.

I can say Skillet's black cod is my favorite fish there is.  I hear he hand massages each one just like Kobe beef.  That's the rumor anyway.

[Skillet]

The black cod I saw at Costco said farm raised on the package. I was really surprised… around 10 years ago we were getting 9+ dollars a pound for black cod in AK. Those were the days! 43,000 cut pound trip of W Yak was $$$$.

Nice trip!  Crew share for 8 days was what... $15K??  That was with Dave on the Angelique?  He's still kicking here in Sitka, but not longlining any more.  Jeff on the Mirage took over all those pounds.

[Skillet]

I like Costco's beef for what it is, but I don't touch their fish.

I can say Skillet's black cod is my favorite fish there is.  I hear he hand massages each one just like Kobe beef.  That's the rumor anyway.

And I sing every one a lullaby.  Right before I stab its gills with a Vicky.

[RB]

25 Plus years ago we went out of Neah Bay for a Canadian Halibut trip to a well known Halibut spot and literally could not keep the Black cod off our gear! None of us had ever eaten it, so were not sure about keeping many (we each kept 4-5) the limit back then was like 15 each. Was not until the tide change that the Halibut started to bite and we were done in a few minutes. If I knew how good they were at the time I would have brought back my limit!

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I'm probably an oddball when it comes to black cod. Not a fan. Tastes like mud to me.  But my dad loved it. Fried, smoked, pickled, and boiled. His favorite was boiled with potatoes, onions and carrots.  You can keep your blackcod, but I'll take all the yellow eye you can find.

[Duckslayer89]

The black cod I saw at Costco said farm raised on the package. I was really surprised… around 10 years ago we were getting 9+ dollars a pound for black cod in AK. Those were the days! 43,000 cut pound trip of W Yak was $$$$.

Nice trip!  Crew share for 8 days was what... $15K??  That was with Dave on the Angelique?  He's still kicking here in Sitka, but not longlining any more.  Jeff on the Mirage took over all those pounds.

That was on the Vansee. We did 42k round pounds with Dave my first full share trip, it was 12k crew share in 3 days. I figure Jeff would weasel those IFQs away someday. Say hi to Dave for me

[ctwiggs1]

I believe Costco fish is farm raised. Not dogging it, but I do like supporting Alaskan fisherman and buying wild whenever possible.

I did not know that.  Explains the almost too much fat in the fish IMO.

The fat is the nature of the fish.

Everyone talks about the omega 3 of sockeye salmon and how it’s good for your heart.  King salmon has twice as much and black cod has even more than king salmon.

 Black cod is a truly incredible source of nutrition, especially for heart-disease riddled Americans. 

[Tight Spin]

Just want to thank you all for the info. I am anxious to try it. Thanks Larry

[206]

Saw it at Costco yesterday.  Small fresh Wild fillets @ $10.99.  pass

Bought a really nice thick (from end to end) cod fillet for 8.99 lb.  Couldn't pass this piece.

[WSU]

I’ve been wanting to focus on them out of Westport. You are darn near deep enough when halibut fishing. It would be awesome to load up on them. Arguably better than the 25 lbs halibut everyone catches at Westport.

[Fishhuntmike]

There is a big difference between black cod (often referred to as sablefish and a few other names) and black rockfish.  Some use the term interchangably.  Ive caught lots of black rockfish off the west coast of washington, oregon and british columbia.  I have caught very few pacific cod in the same places.
Some of the black rockfish I have caught (the ones with medium scales and look like a black "smallmouth bass") were kind of mushy.  I like some of the other species of rockfish better, such as the yellowtail rockfish. I also like lingcod better (not a rockfish or cod but a greenling). The reason im posting is im curious what exactly from costco is being sold?  Sorry for my confusion.

[Angry Perch]

Saw it at Costco yesterday.  Small fresh Wild fillets @ $10.99.  pass

Bought a really nice thick (from end to end) cod fillet for 8.99 lb.  Couldn't pass this piece.

Was that cod, or black cod?

[luvmystang67]

Yeah, I mean not to trounce skillet's thread here, but if costco is selling black cod/sablefish for $10/lb, I'm going to buy a small truckload.

They had chilean seabass for $17.99 during covid, and I bought a truckload of that!

Haven't seen it in my costco in Idaho yet.

@Skillet - thanks for keeping the deals posted, my chops water looking at them and maybe if I've got a westside trip planned for ferndale I'll set something up in the future.

[asmith]

I bought black cod from Skillet several years ago and it is now my favorite salt water fish, even better than halibut.  I season mine with salt/pepper/garlic/lemon pepper, add some diced fresh shallots on it.  Then pan sear in a cast iron on med/high heat, skin down.  Add a slab of butter and start basting it with the fat/butter mixture till about half way cooked, then finish in a 400 oven.  Just toss the entire cast iron pan in there. 

You either like it or you dont.  Im the only one in my family that likes it and I cant get enough of it.

[luvmystang67]

I bought black cod from Skillet several years ago and it is now my favorite salt water fish, even better than halibut.  I season mine with salt/pepper/garlic/lemon pepper, add some diced fresh shallots on it.  Then pan sear in a cast iron on med/high heat, skin down.  Add a slab of butter and start basting it with the fat/butter mixture till about half way cooked, then finish in a 400 oven.  Just toss the entire cast iron pan in there. 

You either like it or you dont.  Im the only one in my family that likes it and I cant get enough of it.

The rest of your family has bad taste!

[asmith]

I bought black cod from Skillet several years ago and it is now my favorite salt water fish, even better than halibut.  I season mine with salt/pepper/garlic/lemon pepper, add some diced fresh shallots on it.  Then pan sear in a cast iron on med/high heat, skin down.  Add a slab of butter and start basting it with the fat/butter mixture till about half way cooked, then finish in a 400 oven.  Just toss the entire cast iron pan in there. 

You either like it or you dont.  Im the only one in my family that likes it and I cant get enough of it.

The rest of your family has bad taste!

I concur!

[Fishhuntmike]

Curious (I hate Costco crowds) I had to see what the fuss was and discovered they had "black cod" or sablefish for $6.99/lb.  Definitely not the Northern Pacific coast black rockfish (seabass) that im familiar with from fishing charters as a kid and in personal boats and kayaks as an adult.  They also had fresh rockfish fillets for $6.49/lb.  I bought a package of the rockfish fillets that were packaged today as an experiment for freshness (I never buy unfrozen fish from a grocery store).  The fillets were fresh clean smelling with a very very tiny hint of "fishiness".  I usually consider a "fishy" smell as the tell tail sign of unfresh fish.  Hopefully I will like it.  Price seems very good.  Ill buy a bunch more in the future if it tastes anyrhing like im used to eating from the sea caught by my own hands.

[pianoman9701]

This is a great recipe that I've done. https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-nobu-miso-marinated-black-cod-117238

[Skillet]

Yeah, I mean not to trounce skillet's thread here, but if costco is selling black cod/sablefish for $10/lb, I'm going to buy a small truckload.

They had chilean seabass for $17.99 during covid, and I bought a truckload of that!

Haven't seen it in my costco in Idaho yet.

@Skillet - thanks for keeping the deals posted, my chops water looking at them and maybe if I've got a westside trip planned for ferndale I'll set something up in the future.

Hey no worries at all, this isn't my thread!

Fish prices have been very interesting thing since Covid hit. Especially the prices of predominantly export market fish, like black cod.

Here is an excerpt from my Co-op's marketing update, just released today.  I think it tells a good part of the story, and gives you an insider's view of the fish world-

"All of our sablefish is sold at this point. We are one of the few processors that aren’t underwater on container loads of last years’ fish. Our halibut inventory is down to the bare minimum. As we exit the fiscal year, we are working closely with the accounting team to value the remaining inventory accurately. We would like to finish out a successful year with no surprises and send the final settlement checks out to the fleet with confidence and pride.
 
As sablefish quotas go up, the major market in Japan has more options to buy inventory and we end up with lower wholesale prices. The yen has recovered slightly, but currently is at the worst exchange rate in 30 years, and still has a way to go before we are back at traditional levels. There is a large volume of BC inventory in Japan at this time. That will have to clear out before new product is considered this spring. The sablefish year class of 2014 is expected hit the 4/5 size range in a big way this year. That value of the 4/5 size is expected to be down considerably from the closing prices of 2022. The lower price for 4/5’s will get them back in the price range of Japan and China. This will help find a home for the big volumes we expect this year.  Our fillet crew will be a big part of getting more out of the 4/5’s.  We have strong domestic fillet markets. They prefer the larger sizes when available. Our plan is to focus on fillets and portions as time allows at the plant. Fishing is expected to be very good on the opener. The plant is well setup with excellent bait sold at cost and a crew ready to offload your fish."

If there's one thing I like almost as much as talking about fishing, it's talking about fish markets.  There is a LOT that goes on behind the scenes to land that $10.99 black cod at Costco...  if it is decent quality and not filets off of the "pickles", it sounds like a great deal.  Most likely these are 2022 fish they're trying to move out before the 2023 fish start hitting the ice.

If you're willing to put in some work and take a little risk, it's a definite "buy" in my book at that price.  Black cod re-freezes really well, just freeze it fast if you plan on storing it.  Spread it out in your freezer after vacuum packing and you should have a great product for months to come. 

[206]

Saw it at Costco yesterday.  Small fresh Wild fillets @ $10.99.  pass

Bought a really nice thick (from end to end) cod fillet for 8.99 lb.  Couldn't pass this piece.

Black cod $10.99

Gadus macrocephalus is the name for Pacific cod (googled that up) 8.99  Pacific cod was previously frozen and thawed.  I would have prefered to thaw it out myself.

[pianoman9701]

Saw it at Costco yesterday.  Small fresh Wild fillets @ $10.99.  pass

Bought a really nice thick (from end to end) cod fillet for 8.99 lb.  Couldn't pass this piece.

Black cod $10.99

Gadus macrocephalus is the name for Pacific cod (googled that up) 8.99  Pacific cod was previously frozen and thawed.  I would have prefered to thaw it out myself.

That is different from Sable. Anoplopoma fimbria is the black cod.

[Duckslayer89]

Saw it at Costco yesterday.  Small fresh Wild fillets @ $10.99.  pass

Bought a really nice thick (from end to end) cod fillet for 8.99 lb.  Couldn't pass this piece.

Black cod $10.99

Gadus macrocephalus is the name for Pacific cod (googled that up) 8.99  Pacific cod was previously frozen and thawed.  I would have prefered to thaw it out myself.

That is different from Sable. Anoplopoma fimbria is the black cod.

P Cod is just fish and chips stuff. The stuff they catch on deadliest catch in the pots. We ate more P Cod on the boats up there than halibut and black cod though. Salted with butter.

[bearhunter99]

We caught a few black cod out of Neah a couple weeks ago. When they filleted the cod they took the skin off. Would they still be able to be smoked without the skin on?  Thanks


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[fowl smacker]

We caught a few black cod out of Neah a couple weeks ago. When they filleted the cod they took the skin off. Would they still be able to be smoked without the skin on?  Thanks


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Yes, just place it on one of the fine mesh mats for your BBQ.  You can find them in most BBQ accessory aisles.