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 $$$$.