Atlantic Pollock Flavor Culinary Profile

Atlantic Pollock Flavor and Culinary Profile

Atlantic Pollock Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

Atlantic Pollock are members of the Cod family and although similar to Pacific Pollock, they are distinctly different in that they are larger, have a slightly higher oil content and slightly darker flesh than their Pacific cousins. Atlantic Pollock have a mild, delicate  taste with white flesh, large flakes, a firm texture and a low oil content. They have a similar but somewhat milder flavor as haddock or cod.

Due to it’s mild flavor and inexpensive price Pollock is a very versatile option for restaurants. Pollock is also commonly used to make Surimi

Typical Cooking Methods

Buying Guidelines and Imperfections

Avoid fillets with the following defects:

• freezer burnt product – fillets it will have a white cottony appearance
• fillets w/ gray colored flesh
• pieces of skin still on the fillets
• blood spots – indicates bruised flesh as the result of mishandling
• parasites (worms)
• bones

Alternate Names

Green Cod, Boston Bluefish, Saithe, Coley, Blue Cod, Coalfish, Blue Snapper

Photo Credit

Description (Pollachius virens)

Atlantic Pollock are members of the Cod family, but are identifiable from Cod by their brownish-green back, greenish hue, paler belly, and darker flesh. Atlantic Pollock are generally larger than their Pacific cousins. They grow quickly and although the average commercial catch size is between 3 – 6 pounds, they can reach sizes of about 3 1/2 feet or 35 pounds.

Typical Wholesale Products

Fresh:

• Whole
• Boneless/Skinless Fillets

Frozen:

• H&G Loins
• Boneless/Skinless Fillets graded sizes 1/2,  2/4,  4/6,  6/8 oz.
• IQF
• Shatterpack
• Block
• Surimi

Fresh Wild Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh.  Frozen product is available all year long.

Average Butchering Yield Percentage and Recovery

Range & Habitat

AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF

Atlantic Pollock are found throughout the shallow and deep waters of the North Atlantic. In the Western Atlantic from North Carolina through the Hudson Strait to Greenland. In the Eastern Atlantic from Barents Sea, Spitsbergen to the Bay of Biscay and over to Iceland. They are found at depths up to 1,200 feet.

Pollock usually swim together in large schools, migrating to shallow waters in the spring to feed & breed, and then move to deeper warmer waters in the winter months.

Alaskan Pollock Sustainability Info

Name	Alternate Names	Catch Region	Catch Method	Seafood Watch	Ocean Wise	Sea Choice	MSC Cert?	Mercury Concerns
Atlantic Pollock	Green Cod, Boston Bluefish, Saithe, Coley, Blue Cod, Coalfish, Blue Snapper	U.S. Georges Bank	Wild, Bottom Trawl					Low
			Wild, Bottom Gillnet
		Canadian Maritimes	Wild, Longline
			Wild, Bottom Giilnet
			Wild, Bottom Trawl
		U.S. Gulf of Maine	Wild, Bottom Trawl
			Wild, Bottom Gillnet
		Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information.
= Best Choice/Recommended      = Good Alternative      = Avoid/Not Recommended								Updated Jan 2017

The Alaskan Pollock fishery is very well managed and has a low incidence of by catch, lower than 1%.

Subscribe

Connect with

I allow to create an account

When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.

DisagreeAgree

Notify of

new follow-up comments new replies to my comments

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Δ

Connect with

I allow to create an account

When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.

DisagreeAgree

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Δ

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments