A Guide to Buying and Cooking Cod

The cod family includes several lean, white-fleshed fish found in both Pacific and Atlantic waters, including hake, haddock, whiting and pollock. People have subsisted on cod for centuries, preserving it as salt cod.

Cod is usually sold in fillets. Larger fish may be cut into steaks, and smaller cod may be labeled "scrod." The flesh is easily identifiable for its large flake.

A versatile fish, cod may be steamed, broiled, baked, sautéed, roasted or used in fish soups and stews. When cooking the fish whole, cod cheeks are especially delicious. The skin, though edible, does not have an appealing taste or texture.

Any member of the cod family can be substituted for sea bass, snapper, grouper or halibut.

Cod Recipes

• Beer Batter Fish and Spicy Chips with Lemon-Habanero Tartar Sauce and Serrano Vinegar
• Beer and Chipotle-Battered Fish Tacos
• Fish and Chips
• New England Fish Chowder
• Roasted Cod with Lima Beans