not tonight honey, i have a haddock (encrusted in pecans over squash)

ah yes, it’s so nice to enjoy a delicious wild fish that has had a great comeback story. back when we opened our market in ‘79 our north atlantic haddock stocks were on the decline. by the late ‘80’s the stocks were at record lows due to overfishing and poor survival rates of juvenile fish. strict conservation measures took place and suddenly we were without haddock for years.

i am now happy to report that the haddock stocks from the georges bank and the gulf of maine are rebuilt and are no longer overfished. this comes at a time that haddock’s close cousin, the codfish, is under strict management. hopefully over time we’ll see those stocks rebound also. for all you cod lovers out there who have never tasted haddock, you should really give it a try! it has a whiter flesh, maybe not as firm a flake but i think it has a sweeter flavor than cod and it can be prepared in almost any cod recipe. we like to bake larger fillets and usually broil the smaller “schrod” haddock fillets. it’s also great to fry (a very popular “fish and chips” fish) and its wonderful sweet white meat makes a great fish cake.

since haddock doesn’t salt as well as cod, it’s often smoked. finnan haddie, lightly smoked haddock that originated in findon, scotland, is a fantastic use of this fish. poached in milk, served with poached eggs and topped with béchamel sauce is ridiculous. the indian/british dish, kedgeree, is a fantastic finnan haddie curry rice dish. cullen skink is a scottish soup of finnan haddie, potatoes and onions that is another pure comfort, soul warming dish. this smoky quiche recipe is another you should try.

whether fresh or smoked, this comeback kid of the fish world deserves a try. give it a go tonight and celebrate the recovery of a great american fish!

pecan encrusted haddock over puréed butternut squash

interesting bit of lore- the black spots on either side of the haddock are known as “st. peter’s mark”, caused when he picked up the fish to pry open its mouth to find the coin to pay the temple tax.