Pollock

Pollock fish is a salt water fish which is valued for its culinary and ornamental importance. This fish belongs to the species of Pollachius. It is alternatively known as saithe, pollack, Boston blues and coley. The fish belongs to the family of cod and is classified into variants – Alaskan and Atlantic.

The fish can weigh from 4 to 35 pounds. It is identified with its shiny skin, and small barbell which extends from the chin of the fish to its whiskers. Additionally, it has a pointed stout and jaw.

Prominence in Various Cuisines

Atlantic Pollock is a very favored variety of fish which is commonly valued for its strong flavor. It is a staple food in many European countries like Norway, United Kingdom and some other countries of Western Europe. It is largely consumed as a cheaper alternative to haddock and cod. In the recent times, this fish has become more popular due to over fishing of haddock and cod. It is today sold in most of the supermarkets in the form of fillets or prepared freezer edible. The minced Pollock fillets are used in the preparation of popcorn fish and fish fingers.

In many cuisines this fish is substituted in place of crab meat.

The Norwegians prepare it in the form of fried fish balls and in Shetland (archipelago of Scotland which extends to the mainland of Great Britain in its north and east), it is breaded with cornmeal prior to frying.  At Orkney Islands (Scottish Archipelago), it is split, salted, dried and barbecued before consumption. The fish is considered good for smoking. It is salted and smoked to impart the orange like flavor which is emanated from the salmon fish treated in the same way. In Germany, the fish is sold as sea salmon or Seelachs. The Koreans exploit its edible side by preparing it in different ways. It is sometimes frozen and melted to make hwangtee-half dried fish or sometimes fully dried and called ko-da-ri. The half dried or fully dried fillets are used for making fish curry. 

Preparation Methods
As Pollock belongs to the family of cod, it can be cooked in the same way as a cod. It is good for baking, pan frying, grilling, poaching, deep frying, and broiling.

• Baking – The fish fillets are rinsed and dried prior to baking baking in an oven which is preheated to 400°F (200°C). The fish is basted with butter or oil during the cooking time. It is baked until it becomes moist and gets easily flaked.  The fish fillets are sometimes topped with pepper, black pepper and wrapped in ham and baked in oven.
• Deep Frying - The oil is heated to 375 degrees prior to frying the fish. The flavors of fish can be accentuated after dipping it in beer batter.
• Broiling – The Pollock is placed on an oven rack and broiled in a broiler for about 3 to10 minutes on each side until the fish becomes soft in the center.
• Grilling – The fish fillets are wrapped in aluminum foil and grilled after basting with oil or butter.
• Pan Frying – The fish fillets are dredged in seasonings and flour and fried in butter and oil.
• Poaching – The Pollock fillets are poached in the liquid containing broth, water, herbs and spices.
• Barbecuing – The Pollock fillets are thicker than other fishes in this species and they cook well when wrapped and barbecued on a grill. The fillets are served after topping with parsley, and lemon juice is sometimes poured over them before serving.

Culinary Importance
The flakiness and thickness of the Pollock fillets make it ideal for addition to spicy, rich and creamy sauces. The Thai regularly prepare fish curry using fillets of Pollock. They combine the fillets with King prawns and cook them in coconut sauce. The curry is served with jasmine rice.

Pollock Recipes

• Lemon Dill Pollock –  A broiled fish preparation where the fillets are combined with ingredients like fresh dill, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, sugar and other spices and marinated for some time prior to cooking. This preparation can be teamed with many main course dishes.
• Pan Seared Pollock – The fish fillets are pan fried and served with healthy bulgur wheat salad and sautéed mustard greens.
• Bugeoguk – This is a Korean fish soup prepared using dried Pollock fillets and radish. This soup is also served as a popular hangover cure soup.  Fish sauce, garlic, green onion, water, egg, and sesame oil are the other ingredients used in the preparation of this soup.
• Roasted Pollock – In this British style preparation the fish fillets are roasted in the oven and served after serving saffron sauce over it. The saffron sauce is prepared by combining with the mixture of mussles, clam, saffron oil, lemon and English asparagus.
• Pollock Fish Pancakes – Fish fillets are boiled and flaked and combined with other ingredients to form a ball. The fish balls are flattened and fried in vegetable oil until it turns golden. The pancakes are served with any sauce.
• Fish Curry – The fish fillets are cooked in the aromatic mixture of tikka masala curry, olive oil, onion, ginger, chilies, coconut milk, and is served after flavoring with black pepper and herbs like coriander or mint.

Pollock in News
The Sainsburys tried to push the sales of this fish in 2009 by naming it ‘Colin’ and marketed it as a worthy alternative to cod. Officials at the supermarket explained that this move was to boost the sales of the fish which is considered as cheap in comparison to haddock and cod. Its renaming helped people to buy it more actively because its original name sounded like a popular curse word in English.  The Sainsbury coined a very popular slogan “ Colin and fish can save the British cod.”