WHAT IS A HADDOCK?

Native to the North Atlantic, this cousin of the cod is silver in color .  A bottom dwelling fish, it has a long, tapered body with a small mouth and 3 dorsal fins.  The upper part of the body can vary in color ranging from grey to black while the lower part remains silver.  All haddock sport the fish equivalent of a soul patch, a chin barbel.  Very popular in the UK in fish and chips, in 2016 this fish’s population dropped to the point where their sustainability was in question.

WHERE DO HADDOCKS COME FROM?

At one point in the recent past, cod and haddock shared a common ancestor.  However while cod can thrive in cold waters, haddock tend to restrict their range to warmer waters.  During the last ice age it’s thought that here forced south where they adapted to thrive on the warmer ocean floors.

WHEN ARE HADDOCKS IN SEASON?

This fish is in season throughout the year.

ARE HADDOCKS ONE OF THE DIRTY DOZEN? (MERCURY)

Like hake or salmon, they’re considered to be low in mercury Along with cod and whiting, haddock are often riddled with parasites.  However so long as you don’t eat the fish raw or under-cooked, there is a very small risk of contamination.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HADDOCK AND COD?

The website Fishing Booker has a great page on this, but basically in physical appearance cod tend to be darker in color, larger and rounder in size.  In terms of flavor haddock is flakier and has more flavor to it.  Professional chefs tend to prefer haddock over cod due to its sweeter and stronger flavor.  However if you’re frying up a bunch of fish and chips with other strong, overwhelming flavors you can get away with cod.