Species sheet · The Edible Ocean

Atlantic cod

The everyday white fish, caught in the same cold water for a thousand years.

Pan-seared with a crisp skin and pearly centre
Poached in a classic court-bouillon
Flaked into brandade with potato

Atlantic cod in its natural habitat, Umay image — *Gadus morhua* · Umay image, generated from a reference photograph — Wilhelm Thomas Fiege, CC BY-SA 4.0

In French: Cabillaud
Scientific name: Gadus morhua
In the water: Cold seabed of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, from the continental shelf down to 600 metres, usually close to the bottom.
Season & buying: Best in winter and early spring, when the flesh firms up.
Common length: ~90 cm
How to identify it: A single fleshy barbel under the chin
Three clearly separated dorsal fins
A pale lateral line that curves along the flank

On the plate

White, flaky flesh that comes apart in large, tender curds when cooked.

Avoid: Confusing it with salt cod, the same fish dried and salted, never sold fresh.

Cod fed Europe for centuries before its stocks collapsed in the twentieth century; what is sold today almost always comes from a strictly quota-managed fishery.

In Umay recipes

26 Umay recipes call for it.