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Wednesday, October 30. 2019

A book: The Fish that Changed the World

From 1998, Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World.


A delightful read. 


A baked or broiled chunk of Cod is a good test of a fine kitchen. Sad to say, Cod have been overfished to the extent that their historic populations may never be seen again - and I mean both the European and the western Atlantic populations.


Same issue with Haddock. Not sure I can tell the difference on a plate but a good Cod has thick flakes.


What about Fish 'n Chips? That means Cod or Haddock. For me, it has to be done right which means crispy but succulent, almost undercooked and fairly thick inside. It's easy to find terrible Fish 'n Chips and I have found lots of them. Worst ones in the UK, best one ever on the dock on Block Island. Malt vinegar, and beer are right with it.

Posted by Bird Dog in Natural History and Conservation at 17:07 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

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"A delightful read."
I agree up to the point he went all enviromentalist & scolding.
Much, much better read is his book "Salt".
#1 rick9911 on 2019-10-30 18:59 (Reply)
When I was in Scotland everyone told me they used dogfish in their fish and chips.
#2 Gary in Texas on 2019-10-30 19:52 (Reply)
Yes! True fish n Chips is shark. Tope, a small coastal shark.
#2.1 SCOTT OLSON on 2019-11-01 00:32 (Reply)
"...that the cod spoke to me did not surprise me, but he spoke Basque!..."
#3 Dennis D on 2019-10-30 22:37 (Reply)
I love fish and chips, too. I used to go to Long John Silver's but as I get older, I can't handle all that grease anymore. If you like fish, you better get some while you can. In a few years, fishing for cod will be a thing of the past. The oceans are worn-out. Imagine if there were huge cod, a hundred feet long that lived at the bottom of the arctic sea. And that they were so intelligent that they could invite people down, for a visit. And that they aren't very happy right now.

Also imagine that this isn't their first rodeo. They're very logical, and so they base everything on two symbols "0" and "1". They do that because they have two pectoral fins; just like us. Do you want to hear a cod joke? x2 − 3 > -4, for all real numbers x! Those guys crack me up.
#4 Ron Liebermann on 2019-10-30 23:19 (Reply)
Thanks for the book recommendation. Will pass it to my favorite Foodie.

By the way, if you're at the Seattle waterfront, drop by Ivar's and try the halibut fish and chips. You'll never go back to cod.

Warm regards from Napoli,
Bull
#5 Bull on 2019-10-31 03:44 (Reply)
You are right, cod has a texture that is easy to distinguish from haddock.

Dogfish, which I first heard about via Euell Gibbons (Sp.?) is delicious, but don't tell, or it will be fished out here, too.

Halibut fish and chips? Where I live halibut is 19-23 dollars per pound, cod 6-8. I'll stick with cod for fish and chips, thank you, and eat halibut instead of lobster.....
#6 tim ferrell on 2019-10-31 08:18 (Reply)
Cod tastes great but it's pretty low in Omega-3.
#7 Andrew C Stanton on 2019-10-31 08:57 (Reply)
Cod, yes I know cod. I was born and raised in Newfoundland and my maternal grandfather fished the Labrador out of Curling East and my enate great grandfather fished out of Fox Hbr in Placentia bay and lost his schooner the Annie Healy in the great storm of Aug 1927 with all hands,https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18364891-thursday-s-storm
Annie Healy was my grandmother And I learned of the trials and tribulations of outport life from her as I grew up, it was harsh and today's generations would not believe what they endured.
I only ever ate fish and chips in England once and that was enough, it was hake and awful. In Newfoundland there is only one FISH, everything else has a name.
#8 CAPT CRAIG (Link) on 2019-10-31 14:35 (Reply)

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