This fish has many names, but it is most often called "red" or "pink" cod due to the fact that on land the fish changes its color to scarlet. Red cod is part of the group of marine predators and feeds on smaller fish. Hoku is loved for its tender meat and a lot of useful substances that people need. Pink cod is a member of the mora fish family, namely the subgroup of codfish.
Features and appearance
The body of the fish is slightly elongated, and there are many small scales on it. The upper part of the fish is gray in color, but the lower part is a lighter pink color. The head is slightly pressed down on the sides, and behind it there is a small black spot in the form of a dot.
The jaw of the red cod can be called unusual. The upper part is slightly larger and longer than the lower part. The jaws have many small but sharp teeth. Sometimes a small whisker can be found on the lower jaw. The maximum length of Hoki can be 70 cm, with an average weight of 1.5-2 kg, but there have been cases when fish up to 90 kg have been found.
Fish of the cod family
It lives in temperate and subantarctic waters of the Southern Hemisphere.
Cod lifestyle
The lifestyle of cod directly depends on its habitat. The Pacific variety of cod leads a sedentary lifestyle, seasonal migrations take place over short distances: in winter, schools of fish migrate to a depth of 30-60 m, and with the onset of the warm season they return to the coast.
The life of Atlantic cod is closely connected with the ocean current; this determines long seasonal migrations, forcing schools of fish to cover distances of up to 1.5 thousand km from spawning grounds to feeding grounds.
Young cod become predators by the age of 3-4 years, and before that the juveniles feed on plankton and small crustaceans. The diet of adult Atlantic cod is based on various types of fish: capelin, herring, cod, saury, sprat, smelt, as well as young and medium-sized individuals of their own genus. In summer, krill and bivalves are added to the main menu, in which the cod bites off the legs extended from the shell.
Interesting Facts
- The most important distinguishing mark of a Hoki fish is the black spot on its head;
- The fish changes color when it is on sushi;
- Almost everywhere, red cod is highly valued, and a dish based on this fish is considered a delicacy;
- Hoki contains the right amount of iodine, which does not harm the body, but rather strengthens it;
- Although red cod is classified as a cod-like fish, hoka fish has little in common with cod, and to be more precise, it has nothing in common with cod.
Read: Individualism in fish
How to prepare?
Preliminary preparation of cod consists of cleaning it from scales and cutting it into fillets or portioned pieces.
How to clean?
Cod must be cleaned before cooking. It’s easy to do this at home: the fish’s scales are small and do not fit tightly to the body. You can easily separate the scales with a regular tablespoon or knife, moving against the scales in the direction from head to tail.
How to cut into boneless fillets?
The last step in preparing the fish is cutting it. To properly cut cod, you need:
- Place the fish on its side, cut off the tail and all fins.
- Make a deep incision along the ridge, reaching the spine as far as possible.
- Moving parallel to the table, cut the meat from the spine along the entire length of the body.
- Turn the fish over to the other side and repeat the previous step.
- Cut off the rib bones of 2 cod fillets.
- If desired, the skin can be removed. To do this, lay the fish meat side down, pry the skin with a knife and pull it in the opposite direction, carefully removing it from the entire fillet.
How to defrost?
Frozen fish must be thawed before cooking. This cannot be done at room temperature. The optimal temperature for this process is considered to be -3…-5 °C. Therefore, the cod fillets are placed in a deep bowl, covered with a lid and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
There is another way to quickly defrost cod. Since it is wrong to simply leave the fish in the kitchen and wait for it to melt, you can use the microwave. This kitchen device usually has a standard “Defrost” mode, which will do the job perfectly.
To defrost fish, separate fillet pieces from each other, place in a deep plate and place in a microwave oven for 3-5 minutes. After this the fish is taken out. If it is defrosted unevenly, the pieces of cod are turned over and put back in the microwave for the specified time.
For baking
Mustard sauce is considered the best marinade for baking in the oven. It is prepared like this:
- 3 tsp. Dijon mustard mixed with 1.5 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- add 4 tbsp to the mustard and sugar mixture. l. olive oil and 1.5 tbsp. l. white wine vinegar;
- All ingredients are thoroughly mixed, and then the sauce is poured over the cod (steaks or whole) for 30-59 minutes.
For frying
Usually fish is fried without prior marinating. But it has long been known that pickled cod after frying will have a juicier taste. For marinade, kefir, a weak solution of vinegar or cucumber brine are often used:
- pieces of cod are placed in a thick plastic bag;
- pour any of the above products inside;
- leave for 60 minutes in the refrigerator;
- drain the marinade, dry the fish and start cooking.
For grilling
Here's how to marinate cod for grilling: Mix a clove of crushed garlic, the juice of 1 lemon, a little salt and pepper in a deep bowl. Dip the fish into this bowl for 15-20 minutes, after which they begin to grill it.
Recipes
Since hoki meat is very tender and tasty, you should not be surprised at the number of recipes with this fish. Here are a few of them:
Royal Fish
A very juicy, tender, and most importantly unbearably tasty dish. Ideal lunch for 3-4 people.
Ingredients
- Fish meat – 900 g;
- Onion – 2 pcs.;
- Tomato (large) – 1 pc.;
- Sweet pepper - to taste;
- Grated cheese – 100 g;
- Mayonnaise – 170 g;
- Salt, ground pepper, fish spices - optional.
Preparation
- Divide the fillet of the fish into portions;
- Cut the onion into rings;
- Place the onion in a salad bowl and add all the mayonnaise and spices;
- Mix it all;
- Add fish to the bowl with the mixture, mix carefully, cover with something and leave in the refrigerator for 30-35 minutes;
- After 30-35 minutes, remove the bowl;
- Place parchment paper on a baking sheet;
- Place the fish on a baking sheet;
- Add the remaining mixture on top and sprinkle with cheese, pieces of tomatoes and pepper;
- Place in the oven for 28-30 minutes at 200 degrees.
Read: Fish with a secret: what is the danger of infected fish for humans
Fish fillet in a frying pan
Red shake meat is ideal for this dish.
Ingredients
- Fish loin – 300 g;
- Eggs – 2 pcs.;
- Flour – 30 g;
- Sunflower oil – 40 ml or 2 tablespoons. l;
- Black pepper (powder) - to taste;
- Salt - to taste;
- Fish seasonings - to taste.
Preparation
- Break 2 eggs into a plate and add salt and pepper;
- Prepare flour for breading and add spices;
- Wash the fillet and dry with napkins;
- Bread the fish on all sides in flour and then in egg;
- Heat a frying pan and place the fillet there;
- Fry the fish on all sides until golden;
- The remaining eggs can be added to the pan.
Fish fillet can be served with side dishes such as mashed potatoes, rice, buckwheat or vegetable salad.
Greek baked fish
Ingredients
- Red cod fillet – 700 g;
- Tomatoes – 2 pcs4
- Cheese, grated – 150 g;
- Sour cream – 200 g;
- Garlic – 3 teeth;
- Parsley - to your own taste;
- Green onions - to your own taste;
- Salt, pepper - to your own taste.
Cooking steps
- First, you need to cut the tomatoes into cubes;
- Finely chop the greens;
- Place tomatoes and herbs in a bowl and add crushed garlic and sour cream;
- Add salt, pepper and grated cheese to the mixture and mix it all;
- Cut the cod into portions and place on a baking sheet;
- Place the prepared mixture on top of each piece and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 190-200 degrees.
This dish is very easy to make at home, and the result is very tasty and tender fish.
Japanese-style fish cutlets
Recipe
- Hoku fish – 500 g;
- Flour (preferably corn) – 30 g;
- Eggs – 4 pcs;
- Dry white wine – 15 ml;
- Sugar – 1.5 tsp;
- Sunflower oil for frying;
- Salt, pepper - to taste.
Read: Cat photos and the eyes of pike perch
Preparation
- The fish must be put through a meat grinder or cut very finely;
- A little later you need to add flour, egg yolks, spices and wine;
- Separately, beat the egg white with sugar;
- Gently add the whites to the minced meat and mix. The result should be a tender mass;
- Place 1 table on a heated frying pan. l fish mass and fry on all sides.
This dish is best served with vegetable salad or sauce. Fish cutlets are good for a cheerful breakfast or a light lunch.
Beetroot and fish salad
Ingredients
- Hoka fish – 500 g;
- Potatoes – 2 pcs;
- Carrot – 1 piece;
- Beets – 1-2 pcs;
- Pickled cucumbers – 2 pcs;
- Red onion – 1 piece;
- Greens - to taste;
- Vinegar – 2 table. l.
Refueling
- Sour cream – 100 g;
- Yogurt – 50 g;
- Mustard, salt and pepper - to taste.
Preparation
- Firstly, you need to boil the fish in salted water with herbs, or you can buy already boiled cod;
- Chop the onion into cubes and marinate in vinegar;
- Having taken the fish out of the broth, the meat must be cleaned of bones and cut into pieces;
- Boil all vegetables and cut into cubes;
- Place all ingredients in a deep bowl or salad bowl;
- Place the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and mix;
- Add dressing to the bowl with vegetables and fish and mix everything.
Red cod stands out for its unusual properties and tender meat. Fish contains few harmful substances and many useful ones. The main thing is that all these elements do not disappear during cooking. But the main thing you need to know is that when fried, fish loses most of its beneficial elements. Everywhere you can find suitable recipes in which the fish will not lose its properties when cooked.
Unusual “oven” recipe
There are countless options for preparing fish by baking. However, as for the fish called red cod (okay, maybe regular cod), we liked the following method. For each fish you will need one piece of onion, tomato, and sweet pepper. In addition: two tablespoons of rice, 3 cloves of garlic, a little butter, and salt, pepper and other spices to taste.
If you follow our recommendations, red cod in the oven will turn out tender, but will not fall apart, and its taste will amaze everyone who has a chance to try it. Onion - in half rings, garlic - through a crush, pepper - in cubes or strips, tomato - in small cubes. The entire vegetable mixture is fried in vegetable oil, and boiled rice is added to it. The resulting composition is put into washed, dried and rubbed with pepper and salt cod, and the belly is pinned with toothpicks or sewn up. The fish is placed on a greased sheet, painted with mayonnaise on top and sent to the oven to bake until a beautiful crust forms. This red cod, baked in the oven with various pleasant additions, will surely please both you and your guests.
Features and habitat of cod
The growth of cod does not stop throughout its life. Most sea cod already have a length of 45-55 cm at three years old. The parameters of adult individuals completely depend on their habitat and lifestyle. The largest, as already mentioned, can be 1.5-2 meters in length and weigh 95 kg.
Looking at the photo of cod, you will notice that the body of the fish has a spindle-shaped shape. A pair of anal fins and three fins on the back are clearly visible on it. The fish's head is large with unequal jaws.
The lower jaw is noticeably smaller than the upper. A distinctive feature of all cod species is the antennae that grows on the chin. The scales of these fish are not large and jagged. It is dominated by green, yellow and olive shades, complemented by small brown spots. Moreover, the sides are always lighter than the back, and the belly is completely white or light yellow.
There are four varieties of cod, into which pollock was recently included:
— Atlantic cod is considered the largest of all these fish. It can grow up to two meters in length, weighing 95 kg. Its belly is completely white and its back is brown or olive, with some tones of green. This type of cod lives mainly in the Baltic Sea and Greenland.
— Pacific cod is slightly smaller in size than Atlantic cod. She grows up to 120 cm, weighing 23 kg. Outwardly, it strongly resembles Atlantic cod. The only exception is her head, which is much wider and larger. The North Pacific Ocean, Bering, Okhotsk and Sea of Japan are the habitat of this species of cod.
— Greenland cod is very similar to Pacific cod, only smaller in size. This fish reaches 77 cm in length, and accordingly its weight is somewhat less. Judging by the name of the fish, you can most often find it in Greenland.
— Pollock has a narrower body. Its maximum length can be up to 90 cm. And its weight is no more than 4 kg. Externally, pollock is similar to all types of cod. Pollock prefers the icy waters of the Pacific and Northern oceans. The first years of cod are not particularly active. She is able to withstand low temperatures. Cod almost never enters the waters of the southern seas.
She gives her preference to the cold waters of the northern seas, which are located exclusively in the northern hemisphere. The largest variety of these fish is found in the North Atlantic.
But with all this, cod also does not like too low a temperature. The fish feels most comfortable in water with a temperature of 1-10 degrees Celsius. In places where the water temperature is too low, cod rises to its upper layers and spends most of its time there.
Fish, having such forms, can easily move from the layers at the bottom to the thickness of water streams. This feature helps cod adapt to its habitat. But that is not all.
Cod prefers to lead a school life and can easily change depths and accordingly move from one type of food to another. This very large fish grows quite quickly and is one of the most prolific fish on the earth's planet.
People consider it a “gift from God” because practically nothing is thrown away from the catch. Cod liver fills her stomach. Its bones, after special preparation, are also suitable for consumption. And the head and all the other insides after cooking are an excellent means of fertilizer.
This commercial fish has many positive qualities. But there are also negative sides to cod. Sometimes, although not too often, parasites can be found in this fish. It may contain tapeworm larvae that are dangerous to the human body. Therefore, when cutting, you should more carefully inspect the insides of the fish and its fillet.
Even after processing meat at high temperatures, it poses a great danger to people because it can infect them with worms. Cod liver may also contain nematode helminths. To see them in the liver you only need to cut it into small pieces. Mostly such surprises are found in canned meat and cod liver.
Many people wonder whether cod is sea or river fish. There is no clear answer. Because some of its species have adapted to live in fresh water.
River cod is practically no different from its sea sister, the same external characteristics, the same lifestyle and its duration. Their only difference is that freshwater cod can mature a little earlier and they do not migrate long distances like saltwater fish.
