Ingredients
Pollock
Other Names: Alaska pollock: Abadejo (Spanish); alaskasej (Danish); bigeye or walleye cod; colin, lieu de l’Alaska (French); escamudo do Alasca (Portuguese); merluzzo dell’Alasca (Italian); mintai (Russian); Pacific tomcod; suketôdara (Japanese). Atlantic pollock: Blaase (Danish); Boston bluefish; coalfish, coley, saithe (Great Britain); colin, lieu jaune (French); goberge (French Canadian); gråsej, sej (Swedish); juliana (Portuguese); lyr (Norwegian, Icelandic); lyur (Russian); merluzzo giallo (Italian); seelachs (German). Gadidae.
General Description: Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) are served at chain restaurants around the world because of good availability, mild flavor, and flaky white flesh. Pollock are the most important fish in American waters and represent nearly 10 percent of world fish harvest by weight. In the United States, pollock are harvested by factory trawlers that process on board and by smaller boats that deliver directly to restaurants. Large operations produce blocks of frozen fillet and surimi from pollock. Because of their high oil content, pollock are a bit more pronounced in flavor and take longer to cook than leaner fish of similar size.
Atlantic pollock (Pollachius pollachius), a distant cousin of Alaska pollock, are found in the cold North Atlantic waters of Great Britain, Iceland, and Scandinavia. They are large fish, greenish brown to charcoal color. They are especially important in the Shetland and Orkney Islands and Ireland.
Locale and Season: Alaska pollock range from California to Japan and are in season from July through September and from December through April. They are found year-round at supermarkets, often frozen and defrosted. Atlantic pollock are in season in spring.
Characteristic: Both types of pollock are mild and delicate in flavor with somewhat coarse texture. Boneless fillets are
creamy tan in color. Cooked, the lean meat is white and firm with good flake. Full-grown Atlantic pollock meat is grayish in color.
How to Choose: Alaska pollock weigh 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, with small fillets (2 to 3 ounces). Fish that have been frozen twice (once whole aboard ship, and a second time after filleting) are apt to be gray. Choose deep-filleted pollock with the dark fat line removed; they will be milder in flavor and whiter in color. Atlantic pollock usually weigh 10 to 20 pounds and must be extremely fresh or they will be unpleasantly wooly in texture.
Storage: Store whole pollock up to 2 days refrigerated on ice; store pollock fillets up to 1 day refrigerated on ice.
Preparation:
1. Remove the dark, strong-tasting fat line in the center, if not done by the fishmonger.
2. Bake, broil, pan-fry, deep-fry, sauté, or steam.
Suggested Recipe: Tequila-Broiled Pollock (serves 4): Marinate 2 pounds of pollock fillets in 1/2 cup tequila, the juice of 2 limes, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste for 1 hour, refrigerated. Broil for
8 minutes or until the fish flakes. Serve with Pepper Salsa: Combine 1 each roasted, peeled, and diced red and green bell pepper; 1 minced jalapeño; 3 chopped tomatillos; 2 sliced scallions; 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro; the juice of 1 lime; 2 tablespoons olive oil; and salt to taste.
Flavor Affinities: Bell pepper, butter, cilantro, coriander seed, cumin, garlic, jalapeño, lemon, lime, onion, scallion, shallot, sour cream, tarragon, tequila, tomatillo, tomato.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
