|
|
 |
|
|
  |
|
|
|
The Lure of Cod
|
| Gold may have drawn the Spaniards to the New World, but cod brought the English and spurred the growth of the country. Cod was our ubiquitous resource—lower a net into the Atlantic and it came up overflowing. |
|
 |
|
(Photo: Jean Allsopp)
|
Text by Rachel Ellner
Food Styling by Caroline Markuna
Portuguese immigrants put their culinary imprints on cod, bringing new ingredients and a fearless fancy for cooking seafood and meat together. That there are so many ways of cooking cod—1,001 recipes, say the Portuguese—is due in part to the days when the fish was bountiful. “It was reliable, plentiful, and familiar,” says Sandy Oliver, a food historian from Islesboro, Maine.But cod is now in decline. To help Atlantic populations recover, regulations include closed seasons, quotas, and gear restrictions. Pacific cod faces fewer challenges, as stocks remain healthy. Sustainability experts recommend buying Pacific cod caught with bottom long-line or hook-and-line fishing. “With the proper management, we would expect to see [Atlantic] cod recover,” says Teri Frady of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service in the Northeast.
Cautious optimism makes sense in light of cod’s historical resilience. “Now you see salt cod at elegant parties,” says Sandy. “Salt cod was subsistence fare during the Depression. Here’s a fish that’s made its way up the social ladder.” Poached Cod with Roasted Peppers, Capers, and Spinach Pan-roasted Tequila-Lime Cod Cod Braised with Clams, Linguiça, and Potatoes
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
