50 lb/23 kg, and has the pink-red flesh and
flavor of a small Atlantic salmon. Arctic char,
which can grow to 30 lb/14 kg as migratory
fish, are farmed in Iceland, Canada, and
elsewhere to about 4 lb/2 kg, and can be as
fatty as salmon.
The Cod Family
Along with the herring and tuna families, the
cod family has been one of the most important
fisheries in history. Cod, haddock, hake,
whiting, pollack, and pollock are medium-
sized predators that stay close to the ocean
bottom along the continental shelves, where
they swim relatively little — and thus have
relatively inactive enzyme systems and stable
flavor and texture. Cod set the European
standard for white fish, with its mild flavor
and bright, firm, large-flaked flesh, nearly
free of both red muscle and fat.